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
#1 Harvard University Massachusetts, Private	$18,030	98	100
#2 Stanford University California, Private	$16,779	99	99
#3 Yale University Connecticut, Private	$18,073	98	99
#4 Amherst College Massachusetts, Private	$16,339	96	99
#5 Williams College Massachusetts, Private	$17,303	97	99
#6 Princeton University New Jersey, Private	$18,712	99	99
#7 Pomona College California, Private	$18,500	96	99
#8 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts, Private	$20,465	98	99
#9 Wellesley College Massachusetts, Private	$19,805	95	99
#10 Rice University Texas, Private	$20,335	98	99
#11 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, Private	$21,828	96	99
#12 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina, Public	$10,085	88	99
#13 Colby College Maine, Private	$19,592	91	98
#14 Duke University North Carolina, Private	$24,386	99	98
#15 Swarthmore College Pennsylvania, Private	$19,759	92	98
#16 Dartmouth College New Hampshire, Private	$23,869	97	98
#17 University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, Private	$24,771	96	98
#18 Claremont McKenna College California, Private	$24,456	96	98
#19 Northwestern University Illinois, Private	$26,196	97	98
#20 University of Michigan Michigan, Public	$17,357	91	98
#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
#41 University of Richmond Virginia, Private	$25,282	91	96
#42 University of California Davis California, Public	$15,886	81	96
#43 University of California San Diego California, Public	$14,864	82	95
#44 Trinity College Connecticut, Private	$27,829	90	96
#45 Hamilton College New York, Private	$29,117	94	96
#46 Lehigh University Pennsylvania, Private	$26,631	89	95
#47 University of California Irvine California, Public	$15,268	81	95
#48 University of California Santa Barbara California, Public	$16,767	77	94
#49 University of Chicago Illinois, Private	$34,719	98	95
#50 University of Notre Dame Indiana, Private	$30,536	92	95
#51 Grinnell College Iowa, Private	$29,404	88	95
#52 Boston College Massachusetts, Private	$28,354	89	95
#53 University of Tulsa Oklahoma, Private	$23,940	78	95
#54 Lafayette College Pennsylvania, Private	$26,810	86	95
#55 College of William and Mary Virginia, Public	$18,551	88	95
#56 University of California Berkeley California, Public	$18,522	85	94
#57 University of California Riverside California, Public	$13,045	67	94
#58 Virginia Military Institute Virginia, Public	$13,428	75	94
#59 University of Washington Seattle Campus Washington, Public	$10,692	82	94
#60 University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Illinois, Public	$14,660	77	94
#61 Boston University Massachusetts, Private	$29,479	84	93
#62 Carleton College Minnesota, Private	$31,547	91	94
#63 Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania, Private	$30,618	88	94
#64 Elizabethtown College Pennsylvania, Private	$28,198	68	93
#65 The University of Texas at Dallas Texas, Public	$10,455	66	94
#66 Florida State University Florida, Public	$12,568	69	93
#67 Bellarmine University Kentucky, Private	$23,158	68	93
#68 University of Rochester New York, Private	$32,939	87	93
#69 Allegheny College Pennsylvania, Private	$24,227	71	93
#70 Purdue University Main Campus Indiana, Public	$12,684	80	93
#71 University of Southern California California, Private	$37,521	92	92
#72 Mercer University Georgia, Private	$21,696	68	92
#73 DePauw University Indiana, Private	$29,557	80	92
#74 Babson College Massachusetts, Private	$28,325	80	92
#75 St Catherine University Minnesota, Private	$20,172	66	91
#76 North Carolina State University at Raleigh North Carolina, Public	$14,958	79	92
#77 Reed College Oregon, Private	$32,069	84	91
#78 Trinity University Texas, Private	$30,505	85	92
#79 University of Connecticut Connecticut, Public	$20,042	81	90
#80 Howard University District Of Columbia, Private	$21,428	70	91
#81 University of Miami Florida, Private	$33,102	87	91
#82 Georgia Institute of Technology Main Campus Georgia, Public	$16,883	78	90
#83 Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois, Private	$26,708	72	91
#84 Indiana University Bloomington Indiana, Public	$13,036	71	89
#85 Centre College Kentucky, Private	$24,226	71	91
#86 University of Detroit Mercy Michigan, Private	$18,338	70	90
#87 Macalester College Minnesota, Private	$31,458	81	90
#88 St Olaf College Minnesota, Private	$27,779	75	89
#89 Rutgers University New Brunswick New Jersey, Public	$16,873	78	90
#90 CUNY Hunter College New York, Public	$3,957	66	90
#91 Yeshiva University New York, Private	$33,953	87	90
#92 Wofford College South Carolina, Private	$28,033	76	90
#93 Austin College Texas, Private	$23,824	69	89
#94 The University of Texas at Austin Texas, Public	$15,502	80	90
#95 University of Vermont Vermont, Public	$19,185	72	90
#96 Lawrence University Wisconsin, Private	$26,162	71	90
#97 Occidental College California, Private	$35,362	84	89
#98 Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois, Private	$28,912	75	88
#99 Case Western Reserve University Ohio, Private	$35,890	87	89
#100 Rhodes College Tennessee, Private	$30,632	78	89
#101 Westminster College Utah, Private	$22,971	69	88
#102 Beloit College Wisconsin, Private	$24,493	66	89
#103 University of Georgia Georgia, Public	$15,961	75	86
#104 University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois, Public	$12,322	68	88
#105 Saint Mary's College Indiana, Private	$26,906	71	85
#106 Drake University Iowa, Private	$30,265	77	85
#107 Simmons University Massachusetts, Private	$30,841	78	86
#108 University of Missouri Columbia Missouri, Public	$15,850	66	87
#109 Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri, Public	$13,954	70	86
#110 Saint Louis University Main Campus Missouri, Private	$31,098	77	86
#111 New York University New York, Private	$37,739	91	86
#112 Stony Brook University New York, Public	$15,605	77	86
#113 The College of Wooster Ohio, Private	$28,209	70	86
#114 Muhlenberg College Pennsylvania, Private	$33,603	79	85
#115 University of Dallas Texas, Private	$26,761	72	87
#116 Texas A & M University College Station Texas, Public	$19,237	78	87
#117 University of Arizona Arizona, Public	$16,580	67	84
#118 University of California Santa Cruz California, Public	$17,889	68	84
#119 University of the Pacific California, Private	$33,178	78	83
#120 Scripps College California, Private	$39,702	89	83
#121 University of Delaware Delaware, Public	$17,539	74	83
#122 College of the Holy Cross Massachusetts, Private	$34,627	83	85
#123 Michigan Technological University Michigan, Public	$17,814	68	84
#124 Saint Johns University Minnesota, Private	$27,126	68	83
#125 Clarkson University New York, Private	$29,891	69	83
#126 CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, Public	$3,931	72	83
#127 New York Institute of Technology New York, Private	$22,197	70	85
#128 St Lawrence University New York, Private	$34,047	76	83
#129 Kenyon College Ohio, Private	$37,940	86	84
#130 Ohio Northern University Ohio, Private	$24,821	70	83
#131 Ohio State University Ohio, Public	$18,706	74	82
#132 University of Utah Utah, Public	$13,739	72	84
#133 John Brown University Arkansas, Private	$21,912	67	81
#134 Azusa Pacific University California, Private	$27,707	70	80
#135 Connecticut College Connecticut, Private	$40,707	86	81
#136 Indiana Wesleyan University Indiana, Private	$21,619	67	80
#137 University of Maryland College Park Maryland, Public	$17,723	81	82
#138 Brandeis University Massachusetts, Private	$37,264	82	80
#139 Michigan State University Michigan, Public	$16,579	70	82
#140 University of Minnesota Twin Cities Minnesota, Public	$17,279	77	80
#141 New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology New Mexico, Public	$14,908	69	81
#142 University at Buffalo New York, Public	$17,264	78	81
#143 Oklahoma City University Oklahoma, Private	$24,264	70	80
#144 Linfield College McMinnville Campus Oregon, Private	$29,521	71	82
#145 Ursinus College Pennsylvania, Private	$30,421	69	82
#146 Villanova University Pennsylvania, Private	$36,840	84	81
#147 Clemson University South Carolina, Public	$21,482	77	80
#148 Furman University South Carolina, Private	$35,621	80	81
#149 Southern Methodist University Texas, Private	$40,404	86	82
#150 Southwestern University Texas, Private	$27,757	70	81
#151 Eastern Mennonite University Virginia, Private	$24,936	67	82
#152 Mills College California, Private	$25,417	69	79
#153 University of San Diego California, Private	$35,936	80	79
#154 Westmont College California, Private	$32,663	74	78
#155 University of Denver Colorado, Private	$37,263	81	78
#156 George Washington University District Of Columbia, Private	$38,829	83	79
#157 Wheaton College Illinois, Private	$28,795	75	77
#158 University of Iowa Iowa, Public	$17,008	69	80
#159 Northeastern University Massachusetts, Private	$36,479	79	77
#160 Bethel University Minnesota, Private	$26,468	66	77
#161 College of Saint Benedict Minnesota, Private	$28,177	67	79
#162 New Jersey Institute of Technology New Jersey, Public	$18,359	68	78
#163 SUNY at Binghamton New York, Public	$17,424	76	77
#164 SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica Rome New York, Public	$14,420	69	76
#165 Denison University Ohio, Private	$36,650	80	79
#166 Bucknell University Pennsylvania, Private	$39,493	85	76
#167 Sewanee The University of the South Tennessee, Private	$34,971	80	79
#168 Texas Christian University Texas, Private	$37,509	82	76
#169 University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin, Public	$16,103	79	79
#170 Santa Clara University California, Private	$42,114	88	75
#171 Bradley University Illinois, Private	$26,791	69	73
#172 University of Kansas Kansas, Public	$19,195	67	73
#173 St Mary's College of Maryland Maryland, Public	$20,996	74	72
#174 Creighton University Nebraska, Private	$32,145	76	75
#175 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences New York, Private	$30,358	76	72
#176 State University of New York at New Paltz New York, Public	$15,496	66	73
#177 Union College New York, Private	$39,527	82	74
#178 University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus Pennsylvania, Public	$22,600	75	74
#179 Lipscomb University Tennessee, Private	$26,013	68	73
#180 Union University Tennessee, Private	$31,980	72	74
#181 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia, Public	$18,449	75	73
#182 University of St Thomas Minnesota, Private	$29,645	69	69
#183 Hobart William Smith Colleges New York, Private	$37,761	74	69
#184 SUNY at Albany New York, Public	$16,769	67	69
#185 Saint Joseph's University Pennsylvania, Private	$35,242	75	69
#186 Providence College Rhode Island, Private	$35,796	77	71
#187 Seattle University Washington, Private	$35,569	76	70
#188 Samford University Alabama, Private	$30,695	73	67
#189 Colorado School of Mines Colorado, Public	$26,856	77	68
#190 University of Maryland Baltimore County Maryland, Public	$17,094	66	66
#191 Calvin College Michigan, Private	$27,952	66	65
#192 Saint Anselm College New Hampshire, Private	$34,164	71	64
#193 Ramapo College of New Jersey New Jersey, Public	$16,823	66	67
#194 Seton Hall University New Jersey, Private	$30,909	68	67
#195 The College of New Jersey New Jersey, Public	$23,945	78	66
#196 Manhattan College New York, Private	$29,943	69	65
#197 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute New York, Private	$41,006	79	67
#198 Sarah Lawrence College New York, Private	$40,630	78	66
#199 Saint John Fisher College New York, Private	$28,468	70	67
#200 Miami University Ohio, Public	$22,989	69	64
#201 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Oklahoma, Public	$21,804	67	66
#202 Lewis & Clark College Oregon, Private	$36,026	72	65
#203 University of Portland Oregon, Private	$36,051	74	64
#204 Drexel University Pennsylvania, Private	$38,025	76	68
#205 Rhode Island School of Design Rhode Island, Private	$39,791	81	64
#206 Whitman College Washington, Private	$41,822	83	66
#207 Pepperdine University California, Private	$42,135	77	60
#208 University of San Francisco California, Private	$38,422	75	63
#209 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii, Public	$15,441	71	62
#210 Bentley University Massachusetts, Private	$41,582	82	62
#211 University of Massachusetts Amherst Massachusetts, Public	$22,927	72	61
#212 Stevens Institute of Technology New Jersey, Private	$40,770	78	62
#213 Adelphi University New York, Private	$28,130	68	62
#214 Fordham University New York, Private	$39,558	76	61
#215 Hofstra University New York, Private	$32,975	70	63
#216 University of Dayton Ohio, Private	$33,372	69	61
#217 Duquesne University Pennsylvania, Private	$30,732	67	60
#218 The University of Tennessee Tennessee, Public	$21,024	67	61
#219 Baylor University Texas, Private	$38,372	76	61
#220 Hampden Sydney College Virginia, Private	$34,853	69	61
#221 Gonzaga University Washington, Private	$36,578	74	61
#222 Chapman University California, Private	$43,767	79	55
#223 Saint Marys College of California California, Private	$36,613	68	55
#224 University of Colorado Boulder Colorado, Public	$22,077	70	54
#225 Fairfield University Connecticut, Private	$39,546	76	58
#226 American University District Of Columbia, Private	$40,469	80	56
#227 Molloy College New York, Private	$28,500	69	54
#228 Rochester Institute of Technology New York, Private	$33,744	71	56
#229 George Mason University Virginia, Public	$20,157	68	56
#230 Loyola Marymount University California, Private	$47,292	86	51
#231 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry New York, Public	$20,215	67	51
#232 Oberlin College Ohio, Private	$43,612	75	50
#233 Xavier University Ohio, Private	$32,429	66	51
#234 James Madison University Virginia, Public	$18,708	68	52
#235 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo California, Public	$21,232	75	48
#236 Loyola University Chicago Illinois, Private	$36,388	70	49
#237 University of Scranton Pennsylvania, Private	$36,235	68	48
#238 University of South Carolina Columbia South Carolina, Public	$21,787	69	47
#239 Marquette University Wisconsin, Private	$34,120	66	49
#240 Rose Hulman Institute of Technology Indiana, Private	$45,356	77	42
#241 Syracuse University New York, Private	$43,111	74	42
#242 Penn State Main Campus Pennsylvania, Public	$24,724	72	44
#243 Butler University Indiana, Private	$39,923	72	40
#244 Elon University North Carolina, Private	$36,564	76	40
#245 University of the Sciences Pennsylvania, Private	$34,888	74	36
#246 Emerson College Massachusetts, Private	$46,381	72	26
#247 Pratt Institute Main New York, Private	$45,880	72	26
#248 The New School New York, Private	$50,377	75	24
#249 Brigham Young University Provo Utah, Private	$13,340	76	84

U.S. Academic Quality per Dollar Ranking

Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar