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.
School | Tuition In State | |
---|---|---|
Indiana University Purdue University IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN |
$10,144 | |
University of Southern IndianaEvansville, IN |
$10,210 | |
Midwestern State UniversityWichita Falls, TX |
$10,233 | |
Oklahoma State University Main CampusStillwater, OK |
$10,234 | |
Minnesota State University MoorheadMoorhead, MN |
$10,236 | |
Metropolitan State College of DenverDenver, CO |
$10,260 | |
California Polytechnic State University San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA |
$10,319 | |
University of IowaIowa City, IA |
$10,353 | |
SUNY at BinghamtonVestal, NY |
$10,363 | |
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLafayette, LA |
$10,382 | |
Salisbury UniversitySalisbury, MD |
$10,396 | |
SUNY at AlbanyAlbany, NY |
$10,408 | |
Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN |
$10,440 | |
South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyRapid City, SD |
$10,440 | |
Kansas State UniversityManhattan, KS |
$10,448 | |
Governors State UniversityUniversity Park, IL |
$10,468 | |
Youngstown State UniversityYoungstown, OH |
$10,478 | |
Winona State UniversityWinona, MN |
$10,492 |