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
#41 College of William and Mary Virginia, Public	$18,588	88	95
#42 University of Washington Seattle Campus Washington, Public	$9,661	82	96
#43 University of California San Diego California, Public	$15,222	82	95
#44 University of Chicago Illinois, Private	$36,584	98	95
#45 Carleton College Minnesota, Private	$30,843	91	95
#46 Lehigh University Pennsylvania, Private	$29,098	88	95
#47 University of California Davis California, Public	$17,026	81	94
#48 University of California Santa Barbara California, Public	$17,223	79	94
#49 Grinnell College Iowa, Private	$32,091	89	94
#50 Boston College Massachusetts, Private	$30,192	88	94
#51 Tufts University Massachusetts, Private	$32,720	93	94
#52 University of Minnesota Morris Minnesota, Public	$11,147	65	94
#53 University of Tulsa Oklahoma, Private	$25,333	76	94
#54 Lafayette College Pennsylvania, Private	$28,735	87	94
#55 University of California Berkeley California, Public	$19,329	86	94
#56 University of California Los Angeles California, Public	$16,474	86	93
#57 University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Illinois, Public	$13,517	78	93
#58 Centre College Kentucky, Private	$22,748	73	94
#59 Boston University Massachusetts, Private	$29,154	84	94
#60 Purdue University Main Campus Indiana, Public	$12,294	79	93

U.S. Academic Quality per Dollar Ranking

Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar