- Attending a four-year university is more than agreeing to learn at an institution, it is a financial commitment than can last years after graduation.
- Niche ranked the best colleges for your money based on net price and alumni earnings.
- MIT, Stanford, and Harvard are the top three best value colleges in the US.
Deciding to attend a university is more than agreeing to learn and grow at an institution, it is a financial commitment than can stretch years after graduation.
Student debt is at an all time high in the US. Americans owe over $1.4 trillion of student loan debt in 2018, according to Student Loan Hero. Finding a school that doesn’t break the bank and helps you make bank after graduation is more important than ever.
Niche ranked the best value four-year colleges in the US based on net price, alumni earnings, graduation rates, student debt, and millions of student and alumni reviews.
Net price is the average annual cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college. Alumni earnings is the median earnings ten years after enrollment, or six years after graduation. Net price and alumni earnings were recorded by the U.S. Department of Education.
Keep reading to find out which colleges offer the best bang for your buck. We have included the annual sticker price of tuition, net price (average annual cost after considering typical financial aid amounts), and median earnings six years after graduation.
50. Michigan Technological University
Tuition:
In-state: $15,04
Out-of-state: $32,218
Net price: $16, 276
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $64,700
49. Virginia Tech
Tuition:
In-state: $13,230
Out-of-state: $31,014
Net price: $17,190
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $60,500
48. Clarkson University
Tuition price: $47,950
Net price: $31,181
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $68,900
47. University of Chicago
Tuition price: $56,034
Net price: $31,068
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $65,500
46. Johns Hopkins University
Tuition price: $52,170
Net price: $27,352
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $69,800
45. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Tuition price: $51,000
Net price: $37,434
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $77,900
44. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Tuition price: $48,628
Net price: $40,666
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $82,600
43. Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Tuition:
In-state: $8,398
Out-of-state: $25,824
Net price: $14,035
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $79,300
42. Washington University in St. Louis
Tuition price: $51,533
Net price: $28,824
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $66,300
41. University of Virginia
Tuition:
In-state: $16,853
Out-of-state: $47,273
Net price: $15,945
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $60,700
40. College of Holy Cross
Tuition price: $49,980
Net price: $26,965
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $65,200
39. Williams College
Tuition price: $53,550
Net price: $18,167
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $54,100
38. Villanova University
Tuition price: $50,554
Net price: $33,270
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $74,500
37. Northwestern University
Tuition price: $52,678
Net price: $29,326
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $65,900
36. Vanderbilt University
Tuition price: $47,664
Net price: $23,150
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $64,500
35. Bentley University
Tuition price: $48,000
Net price: $35,579
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $80,600
34. Boston College
Tuition price: $53,346
Net price: $27,167
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $70,000
33. Columbia University
Tuition price: $57,208
Net price: $22,973
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $78,200
32. Carleton College
Tuition price: $52,782
Net price: $28,587
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $52,600
31. Virginia Military Institute
Tuition:
In-state: $27,650
Out-of-state: $53,338
Net price: $16,195
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $63,200
30. Lafayette College
Tuition price: $51,600
Net price: $26,208
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $67,500
29. Claremont McKenna College
Tuition price: $52,825
Net price: $30,527
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $75,000
28. Tufts University
Tuition price: $54,318
Net price: $28,076
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $66,500
27. Brown University
Tuition price: $53,419
Net price: $25,264
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $63,100
26. Dartmouth College
Tuition price: $53,496
Net price: $21,177
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $70,000
25. Stevens Institute of Technology
Tuition price: $52,395
Net price: $37,168
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $87,300
24. Colorado School of Mines
Tuition:
In-state: $18,386
Out-of-state: $37,436
Net price: $25,097
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $82,100
23. Carnegie Mellon University
Tuition price: $53,910
Net price: $35,250
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $81,800
22. Georgetown University
Tuition price: $52,300
Net price: $26,625
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $90,100
21. Lehigh University
Tuition price: $50,740
Net price: $27,478
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $77,200
20. Cornell University
Tuition price: $52,853
Net price: $30,014
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $73,600
19. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Tuition price: $48,012
Net price: $41,691
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $79,200
18. Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Tuition price: $32,840
Net price: $29,929
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $122,600
17. Colgate University
Tuition price: $55,530
Net price: $22,463
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $61,300
16. Harvey Mudd College
Tuition price: $54,636
Net price: $35,460
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $74,200
15. Babson College
Tuition price: $49,664
Net price: $27,453
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $91,400
14. St. Louis College of Pharmacy
Tuition price: $29,451
Net price: $26,252
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $120,400
13. Washington & Lee University
Tuition price: $67,150
Net price: $23,867
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $72,300
12. Georgia Institute of Technology
Tuition:
In-state: $12,418
Out-of-state: $33,014
Net price: $13,340
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $75,800
11. Rice University
Tuition price: $45,608
Net price: $22,061
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $64,300
10. Princeton University
Tuition price: $47,140
Net price: $17,732
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $80,500
9. University of Pennsylvania
Tuition price: $53,534
Net price: $22,944
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $82,400
8. California Institute of Technology
Tuition price: $49,908
Net price: $26,839
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $74,200
7. University of Notre Dame
Tuition price: $51,505
Net price: $26,683
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $71,600
6. United States Merchant Marine Academy
Tuition price: $1,020
Net price: $4,548
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $78,900
5. Yale University
Tuition price: $51,400
Net price: $18,319
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $83,200
4. Duke University
Tuition price: $53,744
Net price: $19,950
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $77,900
3. Harvard University
Tuition price: $48,949
Net price: $16,205
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $90,900
2. Stanford University
Tuition price: $49,617
Net price: $16,695
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $85,700
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Tuition price: $49,892
Net price: $21,576
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $94,200
