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. Yale University leads the list with a 98/100 academic rating and a $17,511 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 2021/2022 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2021/2022 academic year.

America's Best Value Colleges by Academic Quality per Dollar
College	Net Price	Rating	Value
#1 Yale University Connecticut, Private	$17,511	98	99
#2 Harvard University Massachusetts, Private	$18,037	98	100
#3 Princeton University New Jersey, Private	$18,685	99	99
#4 Amherst College Massachusetts, Private	$18,832	96	99
#5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts, Private	$19,998	98	99
#6 Stanford University California, Private	$20,023	99	99
#7 Rice University Texas, Private	$19,215	98	99
#8 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, Private	$22,126	95	99
#9 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina, Public	$10,038	84	99
#10 Claremont McKenna College California, Private	$22,004	96	99
#11 Colby College Maine, Private	$18,552	91	98
#12 Wellesley College Massachusetts, Private	$21,614	95	98
#13 Dartmouth College New Hampshire, Private	$24,525	97	98
#14 University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, Private	$24,167	96	98
#15 Swarthmore College Pennsylvania, Private	$20,360	91	98
#16 Johns Hopkins University Maryland, Private	$25,241	97	98
#17 University of Michigan Michigan, Public	$17,832	89	98
#18 Duke University North Carolina, Private	$26,932	98	98
#19 California Institute of Technology California, Private	$26,591	98	97
#20 Wesleyan University Connecticut, Private	$22,845	92	97
#21 Emory University Georgia, Private	$25,672	94	97
#22 Northwestern University Illinois, Private	$28,344	96	97
#23 Hamilton College New York, Private	$23,936	94	97
#24 Vanderbilt University Tennessee, Private	$25,804	96	97
#25 University of Florida Florida, Public	$10,075	82	97
#26 Washington University in St Louis Missouri, Private	$27,233	96	97
#27 Colgate University New York, Private	$25,935	93	97
#28 Haverford College Pennsylvania, Private	$25,215	92	96
#29 Brown University Rhode Island, Private	$27,659	97	97
#30 Middlebury College Vermont, Private	$24,517	93	97
#31 Trinity College Connecticut, Private	$26,233	90	96
#32 Cornell University New York, Private	$27,522	96	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 Pomona College California, Private	$30,392	96	96
#36 Vassar College New York, Private	$26,028	90	96
#37 University of Richmond Virginia, Private	$25,700	90	96
#38 University of California Irvine California, Public	$13,106	81	95
#39 University of Notre Dame Indiana, Private	$29,981	93	95
#40 Skidmore College New York, Private	$26,995	88	95
#41 Davidson College North Carolina, Private	$28,615	91	96
#42 University of Washington Seattle Campus Washington, Public	$9,661	82	95
#43 University of California San Diego California, Public	$15,222	82	94
#44 Georgetown University District Of Columbia, Private	$30,710	93	95
#45 University of Chicago Illinois, Private	$36,584	98	95
#46 Smith College Massachusetts, Private	$28,422	84	95
#47 Carleton College Minnesota, Private	$30,843	91	95
#48 Barnard College New York, Private	$30,572	92	95
#49 College of William and Mary Virginia, Public	$18,588	86	94
#50 University of California Davis California, Public	$17,026	80	94
#51 Boston College Massachusetts, Private	$30,192	88	94
#52 Lehigh University Pennsylvania, Private	$29,098	88	94
#53 University of California Berkeley California, Public	$19,329	85	94
#54 University of California Los Angeles California, Public	$16,474	86	94
#55 University of California Santa Barbara California, Public	$17,223	79	94
#56 University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Illinois, Public	$13,517	79	94
#57 Grinnell College Iowa, Private	$32,091	88	93
#58 Centre College Kentucky, Private	$22,748	75	94
#59 Tufts University Massachusetts, Private	$32,720	93	93
#60 Lafayette College Pennsylvania, Private	$28,735	85	93
#61 Mercer University Georgia, Private	$21,693	69	93
#62 Boston University Massachusetts, Private	$29,154	83	93
#63 Purdue University Main Campus Indiana, Public	$12,294	78	93
#64 Florida State University Florida, Public	$12,815	68	92
#65 University of Miami Florida, Private	$31,726	86	92
#66 DePauw University Indiana, Private	$30,183	81	92
#67 Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri, Public	$13,476	69	91
#68 Truman State University Missouri, Public	$12,621	67	92
#69 Saint Louis University Main Campus Missouri, Private	$27,872	77	91
#70 University of Tulsa Oklahoma, Private	$25,333	73	92
#71 Austin College Texas, Private	$24,085	70	91
#72 Trinity University Texas, Private	$31,141	85	92
#73 University of Vermont Vermont, Public	$20,235	72	91
#74 Mount Holyoke College Massachusetts, Private	$31,165	82	90
#75 St Olaf College Minnesota, Private	$27,838	75	90
#76 The College of Saint Scholastica Minnesota, Private	$23,215	70	90
#77 University of Rochester New York, Private	$36,254	87	90
#78 North Carolina State University at Raleigh North Carolina, Public	$14,600	78	91
#79 Case Western Reserve University Ohio, Private	$36,002	89	91
#80 Rhodes College Tennessee, Private	$29,852	78	91
#81 Union University Tennessee, Private	$26,906	72	90
#82 University of California Riverside California, Public	$11,948	66	89
#83 University of Southern California California, Private	$39,759	92	90
#84 Georgia Institute of Technology Main Campus Georgia, Public	$17,410	78	89
#85 University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois, Public	$12,614	69	89
#86 Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois, Private	$28,161	72	89
#87 College of the Holy Cross Massachusetts, Private	$32,061	82	90
#88 Simmons University Massachusetts, Private	$29,021	75	89
#89 University of Detroit Mercy Michigan, Private	$18,376	67	88
#90 Rider University New Jersey, Private	$29,396	69	88
#91 Yeshiva University New York, Private	$35,603	87	89
#92 Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania, Private	$36,983	91	90
#93 Gettysburg College Pennsylvania, Private	$34,850	84	88
#94 Washington & Jefferson College Pennsylvania, Private	$27,477	73	90
#95 The University of Texas at Austin Texas, Public	$16,892	81	88
#96 Eastern Mennonite University Virginia, Private	$22,766	69	89
#97 Lawrence University Wisconsin, Private	$26,594	69	87
#98 University of Connecticut Connecticut, Public	$22,233	82	87
#99 Indiana University Bloomington Indiana, Public	$13,191	70	86
#100 Wheaton College Massachusetts, Private	$28,518	69	86
#101 Rutgers University New Brunswick New Jersey, Public	$17,835	78	85
#102 New York Institute of Technology New York, Private	$21,912	69	87
#103 St Lawrence University New York, Private	$31,578	75	87
#104 The College of Wooster Ohio, Private	$27,923	70	87
#105 Allegheny College Pennsylvania, Private	$26,376	67	87
#106 Muhlenberg College Pennsylvania, Private	$35,152	81	86
#107 Wofford College South Carolina, Private	$30,431	77	87
#108 Westminster College Utah, Private	$25,278	73	85
#109 University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin, Public	$14,030	79	86
#110 John Brown University Arkansas, Private	$21,578	66	83
#111 Scripps College California, Private	$40,259	89	84
#112 University of Georgia Georgia, Public	$16,580	74	84
#113 Lake Forest College Illinois, Private	$26,968	66	84
#114 Saint Mary's College Indiana, Private	$27,121	70	85
#115 Drake University Iowa, Private	$30,321	75	83
#116 University of Iowa Iowa, Public	$17,452	70	83
#117 University of Maryland College Park Maryland, Public	$17,643	81	84
#118 Babson College Massachusetts, Private	$31,559	78	85
#119 Michigan Technological University Michigan, Public	$17,356	67	83
#120 University of Missouri Columbia Missouri, Public	$16,930	67	83
#121 New Jersey Institute of Technology New Jersey, Public	$18,328	71	83
#122 Rutgers University Newark New Jersey, Public	$13,832	71	85
#123 Clarkson University New York, Private	$30,308	72	85
#124 Stony Brook University New York, Public	$16,478	76	83
#125 University of North Carolina School of the Arts North Carolina, Public	$11,940	66	85
#126 Ohio State University Ohio, Public	$18,884	75	84
#127 University of Dallas Texas, Private	$27,450	69	82
#128 Texas A & M University College Station Texas, Public	$19,906	78	84
#129 University of Utah Utah, Public	$12,881	67	84
#130 University of California Santa Cruz California, Public	$17,842	68	81
#131 University of the Pacific California, Private	$32,780	76	82
#132 Westmont College California, Private	$32,418	74	82
#133 Connecticut College Connecticut, Private	$40,474	84	80
#134 University of Delaware Delaware, Public	$19,747	75	80
#135 Wheaton College Illinois, Private	$27,474	74	81
#136 St Mary's College of Maryland Maryland, Public	$20,237	77	81
#137 Kalamazoo College Michigan, Private	$27,596	67	82
#138 Michigan State University Michigan, Public	$16,655	67	79
#139 Macalester College Minnesota, Private	$35,589	80	82
#140 University of Minnesota Twin Cities Minnesota, Public	$17,729	75	81
#141 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences New York, Private	$30,891	80	82
#142 CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, Public	$3,897	70	80
#143 SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica Rome New York, Public	$14,586	68	80
#144 Linfield University Oregon, Private	$28,517	70	80
#145 Ursinus College Pennsylvania, Private	$31,400	70	81
#146 Occidental College California, Private	$41,102	84	77
#147 University of Redlands California, Private	$30,240	66	77
#148 University of Denver Colorado, Private	$38,322	82	79
#149 George Washington University District Of Columbia, Private	$40,308	84	76
#150 Bradley University Illinois, Private	$25,850	69	78
#151 Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois, Private	$32,545	74	77
#152 Saint Johns University Minnesota, Private	$28,128	67	78
#153 Creighton University Nebraska, Private	$32,355	77	78
#154 State University of New York at New Paltz New York, Public	$16,079	68	76
#155 Union College New York, Private	$37,630	82	75
#156 Kenyon College Ohio, Private	$40,862	87	78
#157 Ohio Northern University Ohio, Private	$26,011	68	78
#158 Oklahoma City University Oklahoma, Private	$25,072	69	79
#159 Bucknell University Pennsylvania, Private	$39,359	85	79
#160 University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus Pennsylvania, Public	$22,346	75	77
#161 Villanova University Pennsylvania, Private	$38,303	84	76
#162 Sewanee The University of the South Tennessee, Private	$36,244	80	75
#163 Southern Methodist University Texas, Private	$41,444	84	76
#164 Southwestern University Texas, Private	$29,830	71	76
#165 Whitman College Washington, Private	$38,989	82	76
#166 Milwaukee School of Engineering Wisconsin, Private	$26,541	68	77
#167 University of Kansas Kansas, Public	$20,054	66	75
#168 Clark University Massachusetts, Private	$30,617	72	73
#169 Springfield College Massachusetts, Private	$29,395	69	74
#170 SUNY at Binghamton New York, Public	$19,061	76	74
#171 University at Buffalo New York, Public	$18,119	77	74
#172 Furman University South Carolina, Private	$37,761	80	75
#173 Regis University Colorado, Private	$27,785	66	69
#174 Northeastern University Massachusetts, Private	$37,738	77	71
#175 University of St Thomas Minnesota, Private	$31,799	70	68
#176 Hobart William Smith Colleges New York, Private	$38,247	75	69
#177 New York University New York, Private	$45,417	92	71
#178 Denison University Ohio, Private	$39,808	80	71
#179 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Oklahoma, Public	$21,836	68	70
#180 University of Portland Oregon, Private	$37,317	77	69
#181 Saint Joseph's University Pennsylvania, Private	$35,780	74	69
#182 Clemson University South Carolina, Public	$22,935	76	71
#183 American University District Of Columbia, Private	$37,319	79	66
#184 Brandeis University Massachusetts, Private	$41,222	81	66
#185 University of Massachusetts Amherst Massachusetts, Public	$22,505	72	67
#186 Bethel University Minnesota, Private	$29,107	66	66
#187 Saint Anselm College New Hampshire, Private	$33,292	69	66
#188 Ramapo College of New Jersey New Jersey, Public	$17,286	67	66
#189 Hofstra University New York, Private	$34,011	71	64
#190 Molloy College New York, Private	$27,454	71	67
#191 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute New York, Private	$40,661	78	67
#192 Saint John Fisher College New York, Private	$29,722	72	68
#193 Providence College Rhode Island, Private	$37,284	76	64
#194 Texas Christian University Texas, Private	$40,220	80	65
#195 Seattle University Washington, Private	$36,843	75	67
#196 Samford University Alabama, Private	$31,322	72	64
#197 Colorado School of Mines Colorado, Public	$27,675	75	61
#198 Seton Hall University New Jersey, Private	$33,652	69	59
#199 Stevens Institute of Technology New Jersey, Private	$40,303	77	63
#200 The College of New Jersey New Jersey, Public	$24,617	74	59
#201 Adelphi University New York, Private	$29,821	70	62
#202 Fordham University New York, Private	$41,569	78	59
#203 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry New York, Public	$22,133	73	62
#204 SUNY at Geneseo New York, Public	$18,684	68	61
#205 University of Dayton Ohio, Private	$32,768	66	61
#206 Drexel University Pennsylvania, Private	$39,463	76	62
#207 Rhode Island School of Design Rhode Island, Private	$40,048	81	63
#208 The University of Tennessee Tennessee, Public	$21,133	68	64
#209 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia, Public	$20,247	78	64
#210 Virginia Military Institute Virginia, Public	$18,969	75	59
#211 Chapman University California, Private	$44,327	80	57
#212 University of Colorado Boulder Colorado, Public	$21,198	70	59
#213 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii, Public	$15,193	67	58
#214 Bentley University Massachusetts, Private	$42,759	79	55
#215 Sarah Lawrence College New York, Private	$41,396	76	57
#216 Oberlin College Ohio, Private	$42,745	75	55
#217 Lewis & Clark College Oregon, Private	$37,478	71	58
#218 George Mason University Virginia, Public	$18,285	67	58
#219 Gonzaga University Washington, Private	$36,880	73	59
#220 University of Puget Sound Washington, Private	$38,127	70	54
#221 Marquette University Wisconsin, Private	$34,732	69	56
#222 Biola University California, Private	$34,713	66	50
#223 Santa Clara University California, Private	$48,284	86	54
#224 Rose Hulman Institute of Technology Indiana, Private	$43,606	77	54
#225 Kettering University Michigan, Private	$34,713	66	52
#226 Rochester Institute of Technology New York, Private	$36,514	72	50
#227 Duquesne University Pennsylvania, Private	$32,408	67	53
#228 University of South Carolina Columbia South Carolina, Public	$21,784	69	51
#229 Baylor University Texas, Private	$40,133	73	50
#230 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo California, Public	$20,491	74	48
#231 Loyola Marymount University California, Private	$48,758	84	48
#232 University of San Francisco California, Private	$42,801	75	47
#233 Saint Marys College of California California, Private	$40,401	71	49
#234 Pepperdine University California, Private	$46,550	75	41
#235 Fairfield University Connecticut, Private	$43,173	76	43
#236 Loyola University Chicago Illinois, Private	$37,731	70	44
#237 Rowan University New Jersey, Public	$24,810	66	43
#238 University of the Sciences Pennsylvania, Private	$31,497	72	45
#239 University of Scranton Pennsylvania, Private	$36,093	66	44
#240 University of Mary Washington Virginia, Public	$22,569	67	45
#241 Marist College New York, Private	$38,797	70	40
#242 Bryant University Rhode Island, Private	$39,919	69	35
#243 Butler University Indiana, Private	$42,627	71	33
#244 Syracuse University New York, Private	$47,177	74	32
#245 Elon University North Carolina, Private	$39,401	75	30
#246 Emerson College Massachusetts, Private	$47,594	71	25
#247 Pratt Institute Main New York, Private	$47,516	70	19
#248 The New School New York, Private	$50,908	73	17
#249 Brigham Young University Provo Utah, Private	$13,150	77	88

U.S. Academic Quality per Dollar Ranking

Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar