United States Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest In State Tution

Cheapest Public Colleges in the United States by In State Tution

Below is a college cost ranking of the 656 public colleges in the United States with the lowest in state tution. What is the cheapest college in the United States? Athens State University 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.

List of United States Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest In State Tution
School Tuition In State
Emporia State University

Emporia, KS

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$7,356
CUNY York College

Jamaica, NY

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$7,358
East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

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$7,361
CUNY Hunter College

New York, NY

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$7,382
Lewis Clark State College

Lewiston, ID

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$7,388
Rogers State University

Claremore, OK

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$7,392
CUNY Graduate School and University Center

New York, NY

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$7,410
CUNY Lehman College

Bronx, NY

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$7,410
San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

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$7,424
California State University Monterey Bay

Seaside, CA

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$7,437
California State Polytechnic University Pomona

Pomona, CA

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$7,439
CUNY Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, NY

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$7,452
University of North Carolina at Asheville

Asheville, NC

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$7,461
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College

New York, NY

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$7,464
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

New York, NY

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$7,470
Purdue University Calumet Campus

Hammond, IN

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$7,478
Purdue University North Central Campus

Westville, IN

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$7,478
Southern University at New Orleans

New Orleans, LA

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$7,490