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
University of Houston Clear Lake

Houston, TX

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$7,746
Arkansas State University Main Campus

Jonesboro, AR

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$7,754
Granite State College

Concord, NH

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$7,812
Central State University

Wilberforce, OH

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$7,824
California State University Stanislaus

Turlock, CA

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$7,826
University of Hawaii at Hilo

Hilo, HI

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$7,838
Texas A&M International University

Laredo, TX

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$7,846
University of Wisconsin Parkside

Kenosha, WI

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$7,855
Western New Mexico University

Silver City, NM

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$7,868
Tarleton State University

Stephenville, TX

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$7,878
Henderson State University

Arkadelphia, AR

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$7,885
Mississippi Valley State University

Itta Bena, MS

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$7,912
Humboldt State University

Arcata, CA

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$7,913
Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Goodwell, OK

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$7,922
Texas A&M University Texarkana

Texarkana, TX

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$7,930
Mayville State University

Mayville, ND

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$7,935
Wayne State College

Wayne, NE

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$7,970
San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

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$7,992