Best Value Colleges & Universities in America by Academic Quality per Dollar

Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar

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.

America's Best Value Colleges by Academic Quality per Dollar
College	Net Price	Rating	Value
#21 Colgate University New York, Private	$23,503	94	97
#22 Haverford College Pennsylvania, Private	$22,837	92	98
#23 Vanderbilt University Tennessee, Private	$25,855	97	98
#24 Middlebury College Vermont, Private	$23,367	94	98
#25 University of Virginia Main Campus Virginia, Public	$17,579	86	97
#26 Washington and Lee University Virginia, Private	$23,301	93	98
#27 California Institute of Technology California, Private	$27,438	98	97
#28 Washington University in St Louis Missouri, Private	$27,108	96	97
#29 Emory University Georgia, Private	$25,942	95	97
#30 Skidmore College New York, Private	$23,589	88	97
#31 Vassar College New York, Private	$24,811	90	97
#32 Brown University Rhode Island, Private	$27,218	97	97
#33 University of California Los Angeles California, Public	$15,718	86	96
#34 Johns Hopkins University Maryland, Private	$28,999	97	97
#35 Tufts University Massachusetts, Private	$26,280	94	97
#36 Barnard College New York, Private	$26,649	94	96
#37 Cornell University New York, Private	$28,921	96	96
#38 Davidson College North Carolina, Private	$27,714	93	96
#39 Georgetown University District Of Columbia, Private	$28,442	94	96
#40 University of Florida Florida, Public	$10,457	82	96

U.S. Academic Quality per Dollar Ranking

Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar