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 2022 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. Princeton University leads the list with a 99/100 academic rating and a $18,685 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 2020/2021 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2020/2021 academic year.

America's Best Value Colleges by Academic Quality per Dollar
College	Net Price	Rating	Value
#21 Hamilton College New York, Private	$23,936	94	97
#22 Vanderbilt University Tennessee, Private	$25,804	96	98
#23 Northwestern University Illinois, Private	$28,344	96	97
#24 Washington University in St Louis Missouri, Private	$27,233	96	97
#25 Brown University Rhode Island, Private	$27,659	97	97
#26 Middlebury College Vermont, Private	$24,517	94	97
#27 University of Florida Florida, Public	$10,075	83	97
#28 Colgate University New York, Private	$25,935	93	97
#29 Cornell University New York, Private	$27,522	96	96
#30 Haverford College Pennsylvania, Private	$25,215	92	97
#31 Vassar College New York, Private	$26,028	90	96
#32 University of Richmond Virginia, Private	$25,700	91	96
#33 University of Virginia Main Campus Virginia, Public	$19,043	86	96
#34 Washington and Lee University Virginia, Private	$27,148	93	96
#35 Barnard College New York, Private	$30,572	94	96
#36 Davidson College North Carolina, Private	$28,615	92	96
#37 University of California Irvine California, Public	$13,106	81	95
#38 Georgetown University District Of Columbia, Private	$30,710	94	95
#39 University of Notre Dame Indiana, Private	$29,981	93	95
#40 Skidmore College New York, Private	$26,995	87	95

U.S. Academic Quality per Dollar Ranking

Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar