Best Value U.S. Colleges

CollegeSimply ranks 1045 four-year colleges by value: academic quality from our Best Colleges ranking weighed against the average net price students actually pay. Low sticker price alone does not mean good value. These schools deliver strong outcomes relative to what families pay after financial aid.

Princeton University leads our 2027 value rankings with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $15,313. The top value public university is University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Also high value: California Institute of Technology, Williams College and Harvard University.

Compare net price, aid, and academic ratings across the full list below. See how value scores are calculated on our methodology page. Filter by state or sort by cost to find affordable schools worth applying to.

1,045 Results
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Public Private 4 Year

Metropolitan State University of Denver

  • Public 4 Year
  • Denver, CO
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jul 1 application deadline

MSU Denver is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, aviation, and business. Most students commute to the shared Auraria Campus in downtown Denver.

#613 Best Value in America 4/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 880-1130
  • Avg GPA 3.03
  • Acceptance Rate 99%
  • Net Price $14,584
Details

University of Northern Colorado

  • Public 4 Year
  • Greeley, CO
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

Northern Colorado is a public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and performing arts. The campus is located in Greeley in northern Colorado.

#614 Best Value in America 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 950-1190
  • Avg GPA 3.53
  • Acceptance Rate 86%
  • Net Price $19,376
Details

Colorado State University Pueblo

  • Public 4 Year
  • Pueblo, CO
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

CSU Pueblo is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and exercise science. Most students study on a campus in the southern Colorado city of Pueblo.

#615 Best Value in America 4/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 870-1100
  • Avg GPA 3.3
  • Acceptance Rate 95%
  • Net Price $13,079
Details

Western Colorado University

  • Public 4 Year
  • Gunnison, CO
  • | 0 reviews

Western Colorado is a small public university known for undergraduate outdoor recreation, environmental studies, and exercise science. Gunnison is a high-elevation mountain town in the Colorado Rockies.

#616 Best Value in America 0/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1163-1353
  • Avg GPA 3.42
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $17,711
Details

University of Bridgeport

  • Private 4 Year
  • Bridgeport, CT
  • | 0 reviews

University of Bridgeport is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and dental hygiene. The campus sits along Long Island Sound in the city of Bridgeport.

#617 Best Value in America 3/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 880-1115
  • Avg GPA 3.04
  • Acceptance Rate 83%
  • Net Price $28,498
Details

University of New Haven

  • Private 4 Year
  • West Haven, CT
  • | 0 reviews

University of New Haven is a private university known for undergraduate criminal justice, forensic science, and fire science. The suburban campus sits near Long Island Sound in West Haven.

#618 Best Value in America 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1060-1265
  • Avg GPA 3.47
  • Acceptance Rate 60%
  • Net Price $34,557
Details

Western Connecticut State University

  • Public 4 Year
  • Danbury, CT
  • | 0 reviews

Western Connecticut State is a public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and the visual and performing arts. Students take classes across Midtown and Westside campuses in Danbury.

#619 Best Value in America 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1040-1170
  • Avg GPA 3.38
  • Acceptance Rate 87%
  • Net Price $17,185
Details

Delaware State University

  • Public 4 Year
  • Dover, DE
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Delaware State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate aviation and agriculture. The main campus is in Dover, Delaware's capital city.

#620 Best Value in America 3/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 800-1020
  • Avg GPA 3.09
  • Acceptance Rate 47%
  • Net Price $13,953
Details

Bethune Cookman University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Daytona Beach, FL
  • | 0 reviews

Bethune-Cookman is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in Daytona Beach near Florida's Atlantic coast.

#621 Best Value in America 2/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 830-990
  • Avg GPA 3.3
  • Acceptance Rate 88%
  • Net Price $12,476
Details

Lynn University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • 3.0 | 4 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

Lynn is a private university known for undergraduate business, communication, and hospitality management. The suburban Boca Raton campus sits near Florida's Atlantic coast.

#622 Best Value in America
  • SAT Range 1040-1200
  • Avg GPA 3.3
  • Acceptance Rate 73%
  • Net Price $45,469
Details

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

  • Public 4 Year
  • Tallahassee, FL
  • 5.0 | 3 reviews
  • May 1 application deadline

FAMU is a public HBCU known for undergraduate pharmacy, business, and engineering. The campus is located in Florida's capital city of Tallahassee.

#623 Best Value in America 4/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1030-1180
  • Avg GPA 3.65
  • Acceptance Rate 21%
  • Net Price $13,819
Details

Florida Atlantic University

  • Public 4 Year
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • 4.2 | 4 reviews
  • May 1 application deadline

FAU is a large public university known for undergraduate ocean engineering and marine science. The Boca Raton campus sits near the Atlantic coast in South Florida.

#624 Best Value in America 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1040-1200
  • Avg GPA 3.74
  • Acceptance Rate 66%
  • Net Price $10,225
Details

Flagler College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Saint Augustine, FL
  • 0.0 | 1 reviews
  • Mar 1 application deadline

Flagler is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and communication. The historic campus centers on the former Hotel Ponce de Leon in downtown St. Augustine.

#625 Best Value in America 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 960-1190
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.38
  • Acceptance Rate 81%
  • Net Price $32,395
Details

AdventHealth University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Orlando, FL
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jul 1 application deadline

AdventHealth University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The urban Orlando campus is closely tied to the AdventHealth hospital system.

#626 Best Value in America
  • SAT Range 1010-1140
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $29,658
Details

Florida International University

  • Public 4 Year
  • Miami, FL
  • 4.1 | 7 reviews
  • Apr 1 application deadline

FIU is a large public university known for undergraduate hospitality management and international business. The urban campus in Miami has a large Hispanic student population and strong Latin American ties.

#627 Best Value in America 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1070-1260
  • Avg GPA 4.0
  • Acceptance Rate 55%
  • Net Price $11,178
Details

Saint Leo University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Saint Leo, FL
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews

Saint Leo is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate criminal justice, business, and education. The campus adjoins a Benedictine abbey in a small central Florida town north of Tampa.

#628 Best Value in America 4/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 980-1190
  • Avg GPA 3.1
  • Acceptance Rate 78%
  • Net Price $22,599
Details
St. Thomas University Campus
 

St. Thomas University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Miami Gardens, FL
  • 1.0 | 1 reviews

St. Thomas is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, criminal justice, and sports administration. The suburban campus lies in Miami Gardens just north of Miami.

#629 Best Value in America 4/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 860-1060
  • Avg GPA 3.24
  • Acceptance Rate 98%
  • Net Price $27,844
Details

Southeastern University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Lakeland, FL
  • | 0 reviews
  • May 1 application deadline

Southeastern is a private Christian university known for undergraduate ministry, business, and education. The campus is in Lakeland, a midsize city between Tampa and Orlando.

#630 Best Value in America
  • SAT Range 960-1183
  • Avg GPA 3.48
  • Acceptance Rate 53%
  • Net Price $32,334
Details