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. Amherst College leads the list with a 96/100 academic rating and a $16,339 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
#41 University of California Irvine California, Public	$15,268	81	93
#42 University of California Santa Barbara California, Public	$16,767	77	92
#43 Mercer University Georgia, Private	$21,696	68	93
#44 Johns Hopkins University Maryland, Private	$28,999	97	93
#45 Tufts University Massachusetts, Private	$26,280	94	92
#46 University of Detroit Mercy Michigan, Private	$18,338	70	94
#47 St Catherine University Minnesota, Private	$20,172	66	94
#48 Washington University in St Louis Missouri, Private	$27,108	96	94
#49 Barnard College New York, Private	$26,649	94	92
#50 CUNY Hunter College New York, Public	$3,957	66	93
#51 Davidson College North Carolina, Private	$27,714	93	94
#52 Allegheny College Pennsylvania, Private	$24,227	71	93
#53 Brown University Rhode Island, Private	$27,218	97	94
#54 University of Richmond Virginia, Private	$25,282	91	93
#55 University of Washington Seattle Campus Washington, Public	$10,692	82	93
#56 Trinity College Connecticut, Private	$27,829	90	91
#57 Georgetown University District Of Columbia, Private	$28,442	94	91
#58 Howard University District Of Columbia, Private	$21,428	70	92
#59 University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Illinois, Public	$14,660	77	92
#60 Grinnell College Iowa, Private	$29,404	88	92

U.S. Academic Quality per Dollar Ranking

Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar