Below is a college cost ranking of the 1317 private colleges in the United States with the lowest in state tution. What is the cheapest college in the United States? Ottawa University Phoenix tops the list with a tuition and fee total of $0. Note these costs do not include room and board or living expenses.
Affordable doesn't simply mean finding a school with a low published price. It's important to research the typical financial aid package offered by a school, the average net price actually paid and most importantly the quality of education you receive for your tuition dollar. Sometimes a school which appears cheap based on list price can be a poor relative value if it can't award competitive financial aid or doesn't offer a quality education. The list below is a ranking on published in state tution with no consideration of actual average price paid or academic quality of the school. Please see the CollegeSimply Best Value Colleges in the United States list for a ranking which considers school quality and average net price.
All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's 2022-2022 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2021/2022 academic year.
| School | Tuition In State | |
|---|---|---|
|
Concordia University SewardSeward, NE |
$39,330 |
|
Milligan UniversityMilligan, TN |
$39,350 |
|
Northwest Nazarene UniversityNampa, ID |
$39,370 |
|
Chestnut Hill CollegePhiladelphia, PA |
$39,410 |
|
Caldwell UniversityCaldwell, NJ |
$39,450 |
|
Westminster CollegeNew Wilmington, PA |
$39,470 |
|
Alfred UniversityAlfred, NY |
$39,530 |
|
Marywood UniversityScranton, PA |
$39,570 |
|
Clarke UniversityDubuque, IA |
$39,600 |
|
The University of FindlayFindlay, OH |
$39,646 |
|
Columbus College of Art and DesignColumbus, OH |
$39,650 |
|
Methodist UniversityFayetteville, NC |
$39,664 |
|
Saint John Fisher CollegeRochester, NY |
$39,666 |
|
Bradley UniversityPeoria, IL |
$39,680 |
|
Stevenson UniversityStevenson, MD |
$39,708 |
|
California Baptist UniversityRiverside, CA |
$39,720 |
|
Cornish College of the ArtsSeattle, WA |
$39,913 |
|
Albertus Magnus CollegeNew Haven, CT |
$39,924 |