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
#1 Princeton University New Jersey, Private	$18,685	99	100
#2 Yale University Connecticut, Private	$17,511	99	99
#3 Harvard University Massachusetts, Private	$18,037	99	99
#4 Amherst College Massachusetts, Private	$18,832	97	99
#5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts, Private	$19,998	98	99
#6 Stanford University California, Private	$20,023	99	99
#7 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, Private	$22,126	95	99
#8 Rice University Texas, Private	$19,215	98	99
#9 Johns Hopkins University Maryland, Private	$25,241	97	99
#10 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina, Public	$10,038	88	99
#11 Claremont McKenna College California, Private	$22,004	95	98
#12 Colby College Maine, Private	$18,552	91	98
#13 Wellesley College Massachusetts, Private	$21,614	95	98
#14 University of Michigan Michigan, Public	$17,832	90	98
#15 Dartmouth College New Hampshire, Private	$24,525	97	98
#16 Duke University North Carolina, Private	$26,932	98	98
#17 University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, Private	$24,167	96	98
#18 Swarthmore College Pennsylvania, Private	$20,360	92	98
#19 California Institute of Technology California, Private	$26,591	98	98
#20 Emory University Georgia, Private	$25,672	94	97
#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
#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
#61 Florida State University Florida, Public	$12,815	70	93
#62 University of Miami Florida, Private	$31,726	87	92
#63 Mercer University Georgia, Private	$21,693	67	92
#64 DePauw University Indiana, Private	$30,183	81	92
#65 Saint Louis University Main Campus Missouri, Private	$27,872	78	93
#66 The University of Texas at Dallas Texas, Public	$11,185	66	93
#67 University of Mississippi Mississippi, Public	$13,540	67	91
#68 Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri, Public	$13,476	69	92
#69 North Carolina State University at Raleigh North Carolina, Public	$14,600	79	91
#70 Rhodes College Tennessee, Private	$29,852	79	91
#71 Austin College Texas, Private	$24,085	70	91
#72 Trinity University Texas, Private	$31,141	84	91
#73 University of Arizona Arizona, Public	$15,620	67	90
#74 University of Southern California California, Private	$39,759	92	89
#75 Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois, Private	$28,161	75	90
#76 College of the Holy Cross Massachusetts, Private	$32,061	83	90
#77 Mount Holyoke College Massachusetts, Private	$31,165	82	90
#78 St Olaf College Minnesota, Private	$27,838	75	90
#79 CUNY Hunter College New York, Public	$4,014	67	91
#80 University of Rochester New York, Private	$36,254	87	90
#81 St Lawrence University New York, Private	$31,578	77	89
#82 Case Western Reserve University Ohio, Private	$36,002	87	89
#83 Allegheny College Pennsylvania, Private	$26,376	69	89
#84 Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania, Private	$36,983	91	89
#85 Union University Tennessee, Private	$26,906	71	89
#86 University of Vermont Vermont, Public	$20,235	71	90
#87 Eastern Mennonite University Virginia, Private	$22,766	70	90
#88 University of California Riverside California, Public	$11,948	67	88
#89 Georgia Institute of Technology Main Campus Georgia, Public	$17,410	77	87
#90 University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois, Public	$12,614	69	88
#91 Indiana University Bloomington Indiana, Public	$13,191	71	87
#92 Babson College Massachusetts, Private	$31,559	80	87
#93 Simmons University Massachusetts, Private	$29,021	74	88
#94 Wheaton College Massachusetts, Private	$28,518	71	89
#95 University of Detroit Mercy Michigan, Private	$18,376	68	88
#96 Michigan Technological University Michigan, Public	$17,356	69	87
#97 New York Institute of Technology New York, Private	$21,912	71	87
#98 Yeshiva University New York, Private	$35,603	87	88
#99 Muhlenberg College Pennsylvania, Private	$35,152	80	87
#100 The University of Texas at Austin Texas, Public	$16,892	81	88
#101 University of Utah Utah, Public	$12,881	69	86
#102 Lawrence University Wisconsin, Private	$26,594	70	88
#103 University of Connecticut Connecticut, Public	$22,233	80	86
#104 University of Georgia Georgia, Public	$16,580	76	85
#105 Saint Mary's College Indiana, Private	$27,121	70	86
#106 Drake University Iowa, Private	$30,321	76	85
#107 Luther College Iowa, Private	$25,291	66	86
#108 University of Maryland College Park Maryland, Public	$17,643	81	84
#109 Rutgers University New Brunswick New Jersey, Public	$17,835	77	85
#110 University of Dallas Texas, Private	$27,450	70	85
#111 Texas A & M University College Station Texas, Public	$19,906	79	86
#112 University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin, Public	$14,030	79	86
#113 John Brown University Arkansas, Private	$21,578	67	84
#114 Westmont College California, Private	$32,418	74	82
#115 Connecticut College Connecticut, Private	$40,474	86	83
#116 Howard University District Of Columbia, Private	$23,233	67	82
#117 Wheaton College Illinois, Private	$27,474	75	84
#118 University of Iowa Iowa, Public	$17,452	69	82
#119 Michigan State University Michigan, Public	$16,655	69	82
#120 Macalester College Minnesota, Private	$35,589	81	83
#121 University of Missouri Columbia Missouri, Public	$16,930	66	84
#122 New Jersey Institute of Technology New Jersey, Public	$18,328	71	83
#123 New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology New Mexico, Public	$14,834	68	84
#124 Clarkson University New York, Private	$30,308	69	83
#125 CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, Public	$3,897	72	81
#126 Stony Brook University New York, Public	$16,478	76	84
#127 SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica Rome New York, Public	$14,586	68	82
#128 Kenyon College Ohio, Private	$40,862	87	84
#129 Ohio Northern University Ohio, Private	$26,011	71	83
#130 Ohio State University Ohio, Public	$18,884	73	83
#131 Oklahoma City University Oklahoma, Private	$25,072	72	83
#132 Linfield University Oregon, Private	$28,517	71	82
#133 Whitman College Washington, Private	$38,989	84	82
#134 Occidental College California, Private	$41,102	85	80
#135 University of the Pacific California, Private	$32,780	75	81
#136 University of Redlands California, Private	$30,240	67	79
#137 University of Denver Colorado, Private	$38,322	82	79
#138 University of Delaware Delaware, Public	$19,747	76	81
#139 Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois, Private	$32,545	75	80
#140 University of Minnesota Twin Cities Minnesota, Public	$17,729	75	81
#141 College of Saint Benedict Minnesota, Private	$27,960	67	80
#142 Saint Johns University Minnesota, Private	$28,128	67	80
#143 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences New York, Private	$30,891	79	80
#144 CUNY City College New York, Public	$4,546	65	80
#145 Union College New York, Private	$37,630	83	79
#146 Bucknell University Pennsylvania, Private	$39,359	84	79
#147 Ursinus College Pennsylvania, Private	$31,400	68	79
#148 Southern Methodist University Texas, Private	$41,444	86	79
#149 Milwaukee School of Engineering Wisconsin, Private	$26,541	67	79
#150 University of California Santa Cruz California, Public	$17,842	67	76
#151 George Washington University District Of Columbia, Private	$40,308	83	76
#152 University of Kansas Kansas, Public	$20,054	67	76
#153 St Mary's College of Maryland Maryland, Public	$20,237	75	78
#154 Clark University Massachusetts, Private	$30,617	73	77
#155 Northeastern University Massachusetts, Private	$37,738	79	76
#156 Andrews University Michigan, Private	$22,850	67	77
#157 SUNY at Binghamton New York, Public	$19,061	76	77
#158 University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus Pennsylvania, Public	$22,346	74	78
#159 Villanova University Pennsylvania, Private	$38,303	84	78
#160 Furman University South Carolina, Private	$37,761	80	77
#161 Sewanee The University of the South Tennessee, Private	$36,244	81	78
#162 Westminster College Utah, Private	$25,278	67	77
#163 Bradley University Illinois, Private	$25,850	66	74
#164 University of Maryland Baltimore County Maryland, Public	$16,868	66	75
#165 Springfield College Massachusetts, Private	$29,395	69	74
#166 Calvin College Michigan, Private	$26,482	66	75
#167 Saint Anselm College New Hampshire, Private	$33,292	71	72
#168 University at Buffalo New York, Public	$18,119	76	73
#169 State University of New York at New Paltz New York, Public	$16,079	66	74
#170 Denison University Ohio, Private	$39,808	81	73
#171 Lipscomb University Tennessee, Private	$26,421	67	74
#172 Regis University Colorado, Private	$27,785	66	69
#173 American University District Of Columbia, Private	$37,319	82	71
#174 Brandeis University Massachusetts, Private	$41,222	82	67
#175 Bethel University Minnesota, Private	$29,107	67	69
#176 Hobart William Smith Colleges New York, Private	$38,247	76	72
#177 Molloy College New York, Private	$27,454	68	68
#178 New York University New York, Private	$45,417	91	72
#179 SUNY at Albany New York, Public	$17,486	66	70
#180 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Oklahoma, Public	$21,836	67	68
#181 Elizabethtown College Pennsylvania, Private	$25,767	67	67
#182 Providence College Rhode Island, Private	$37,284	78	70
#183 Clemson University South Carolina, Public	$22,935	76	71
#184 Southwestern University Texas, Private	$29,830	67	70
#185 Texas Christian University Texas, Private	$40,220	82	68
#186 Seattle University Washington, Private	$36,843	76	68
#187 Samford University Alabama, Private	$31,322	72	66
#188 University of Massachusetts Amherst Massachusetts, Public	$22,505	72	67
#189 University of St Thomas Minnesota, Private	$31,799	68	64
#190 Stevens Institute of Technology New Jersey, Private	$40,303	77	63
#191 The College of New Jersey New Jersey, Public	$24,617	76	63
#192 Fordham University New York, Private	$41,569	79	64
#193 Saint John Fisher College New York, Private	$29,722	69	64
#194 Cedarville University Ohio, Private	$24,965	65	66
#195 University of Portland Oregon, Private	$37,317	76	67
#196 Saint Joseph's University Pennsylvania, Private	$35,780	74	67
#197 Colorado School of Mines Colorado, Public	$27,675	75	61
#198 Bentley University Massachusetts, Private	$42,759	81	59
#199 Ramapo College of New Jersey New Jersey, Public	$17,286	65	61
#200 Seton Hall University New Jersey, Private	$33,652	69	59
#201 Adelphi University New York, Private	$29,821	69	58
#202 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute New York, Private	$40,661	75	59
#203 Sarah Lawrence College New York, Private	$41,396	78	63
#204 SUNY at Geneseo New York, Public	$18,684	68	61
#205 University of Dayton Ohio, Private	$32,768	67	62
#206 Lewis & Clark College Oregon, Private	$37,478	72	61
#207 Drexel University Pennsylvania, Private	$39,463	76	61
#208 Rhode Island School of Design Rhode Island, Private	$40,048	80	62
#209 The University of Tennessee Tennessee, Public	$21,133	68	62
#210 George Mason University Virginia, Public	$18,285	68	60
#211 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia, Public	$20,247	76	61
#212 Gonzaga University Washington, Private	$36,880	74	62
#213 Marquette University Wisconsin, Private	$34,732	70	58
#214 Chapman University California, Private	$44,327	80	57
#215 Santa Clara University California, Private	$48,284	87	56
#216 University of Colorado Boulder Colorado, Public	$21,198	69	57
#217 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii, Public	$15,193	66	56
#218 Rose Hulman Institute of Technology Indiana, Private	$43,606	78	55
#219 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry New York, Public	$22,133	71	55
#220 Oberlin College Ohio, Private	$42,745	75	55
#221 Duquesne University Pennsylvania, Private	$32,408	67	55
#222 Virginia Military Institute Virginia, Public	$18,969	75	58
#223 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo California, Public	$20,491	75	52
#224 Loyola Marymount University California, Private	$48,758	86	51
#225 University of San Francisco California, Private	$42,801	76	49
#226 Saint Marys College of California California, Private	$40,401	71	50
#227 Kettering University Michigan, Private	$34,713	67	53
#228 Hope College Michigan, Private	$30,320	65	49
#229 Rochester Institute of Technology New York, Private	$36,514	72	50
#230 University of South Carolina Columbia South Carolina, Public	$21,784	69	51
#231 James Madison University Virginia, Public	$18,592	66	52
#232 Biola University California, Private	$34,713	66	48
#233 Pepperdine University California, Private	$46,550	77	46
#234 Loyola University Chicago Illinois, Private	$37,731	70	46
#235 Xavier University Ohio, Private	$34,945	66	47
#236 University of Scranton Pennsylvania, Private	$36,093	67	47
#237 Fairfield University Connecticut, Private	$43,173	76	44
#238 University of the Sciences Pennsylvania, Private	$31,497	71	41
#239 Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott Arizona, Private	$36,356	65	36
#240 Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach Florida, Private	$36,906	67	34
#241 Penn State Main Campus Pennsylvania, Public	$25,548	69	33
#242 Butler University Indiana, Private	$42,627	70	30
#243 Elon University North Carolina, Private	$39,401	77	32
#244 Bryant University Rhode Island, Private	$39,919	68	32
#245 Emerson College Massachusetts, Private	$47,594	72	25
#246 The New School New York, Private	$50,908	74	21
#247 Pratt Institute Main New York, Private	$47,516	70	20
#248 Brigham Young University Provo Utah, Private	$13,150	77	87

U.S. Academic Quality per Dollar Ranking

Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar