The Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar for 2021
These colleges are CollegeCalc's 2021 ranking of the best value colleges in America based on academic value per tuition dollar. While many of these schools don't have low list prices, attractive net prices through generous financial aid combined with academic excellence offer students great returns on investment. In order to be considered, schools must possess high academic standing coupled with costs commensurate to the education provided. Harvard University leads the list with a 98/100 academic rating and a $18,030 average net price.
Academic Rating is a CollegeCalc rating of a college's overall academics and effectiveness. The score ranges from zero to one hundred, with fifty being the median for all eligible colleges. Dollar value is a measure of a school's academic rating compared with the average price paid by students. Colleges which are ranked "n/a" didn't report sufficient data to formulate a score. Learn more about our rating methodology.
All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's 2019/2020 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2019/2020 academic year.
College | Net Price | Rating | Value |
---|---|---|---|
#21 Colgate UniversityNew York, Private |
$23,503 | 94 | 97 |
#22 Haverford CollegePennsylvania, Private |
$22,837 | 92 | 98 |
#23 Vanderbilt UniversityTennessee, Private |
$25,855 | 97 | 98 |
#24 Middlebury CollegeVermont, Private |
$23,367 | 94 | 98 |
#25 University of Virginia Main CampusVirginia, Public |
$17,579 | 86 | 97 |
#26 Washington and Lee UniversityVirginia, Private |
$23,301 | 93 | 98 |
#27 California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia, Private |
$27,438 | 98 | 97 |
#28 Washington University in St LouisMissouri, Private |
$27,108 | 96 | 97 |
#29 Emory UniversityGeorgia, Private |
$25,942 | 95 | 97 |
#30 Skidmore CollegeNew York, Private |
$23,589 | 88 | 97 |
#31 Vassar CollegeNew York, Private |
$24,811 | 90 | 97 |
#32 Brown UniversityRhode Island, Private |
$27,218 | 97 | 97 |
#33 University of California Los AngelesCalifornia, Public |
$15,718 | 86 | 96 |
#34 Johns Hopkins UniversityMaryland, Private |
$28,999 | 97 | 97 |
#35 Tufts UniversityMassachusetts, Private |
$26,280 | 94 | 97 |
#36 Barnard CollegeNew York, Private |
$26,649 | 94 | 96 |
#37 Cornell UniversityNew York, Private |
$28,921 | 96 | 96 |
#38 Davidson CollegeNorth Carolina, Private |
$27,714 | 93 | 96 |
#39 Georgetown UniversityDistrict Of Columbia, Private |
$28,442 | 94 | 96 |
#40 University of FloridaFlorida, Public |
$10,457 | 82 | 96 |