2024 Best Schools for the Money (With Aid) in the United States
2,202
Colleges
$6,840
Avg Net Price (With Aid)*
83%
Discount Rate*
When pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision. The amount of financial aid you could receive at various schools, including some with high sticker prices, may surprise you.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
Your Choice of School Matters
We analyzed 2,202 schools across the United States to determine which have the best value programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best value schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
Our Methodology
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking is to look at the school's average net price - the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student.
But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
Want to see the list of best value schools for families with specific income levels or whether or not aid is being applied? Click on one of the tiles above. If you'd rather work on your degree in a specific area of the country, you might be interested in our
rankings by place. Also, you may want to check out our other
college rankings.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Best Value Schools (With Aid) in the United States
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found University of Washington - Seattle Campus to be the best value (with aid) school in the United States in this year’s ranking. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus has the honor of being ranked #1 in Washington for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $8,701.
Learn More About Value at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list means Stanford University is a great place for students working on their degree. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Stanford University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in California for overall quality. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $14,402.
Learn More About Value at Stanford University
The quality degree programs at Columbia University in the City of New York helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid). New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Columbia University in the City of New York has the honor of being ranked #1 in New York for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $12,411.
Read full value report on Columbia University in the City of New York
Out of the 2,202 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #4 spot on the list. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has a large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Harvard University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Massachusetts for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $13,910 a year.
Read full value report on Harvard University
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list means Southern Regional Technical College is a great place for students working on their degree. Southwest Georgia Technical College is a small public school situated in Thomasville, Georgia.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Southern Regional Technical College is ranked #16 for quality in the state of Georgia.
Full Southern Regional Technical College Value Report
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking, coming in at #6. UPenn is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has a large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is University of Pennsylvania a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Pennsylvania for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $14,578 a year.
Read full value report on University of Pennsylvania
South Texas College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking, coming in at #7. South Texas College is a large public school situated in McAllen, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, South Texas College is ranked #22 for quality in the state of Texas. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $1,515.
Learn More About Value at South Texas College
With a ranking of #8, Lee College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Located in Baytown, Texas, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Lee College has the honor of being ranked #6 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $7,113.
Full Lee College Value Report
With a ranking of #9, Eastern Gateway Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Eastern Gateway Community College is located in Steubenville, Ohio and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Eastern Gateway Community College is ranked #15 for quality in the state of Ohio. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $2,270.
Learn More About Value at Eastern Gateway Community College
Golden West College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Golden West College is located in Huntington Beach, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Golden West College is ranked #27 for quality in the state of California. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $5,433.
Learn More About Value at Golden West College
Central Georgia Technical College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. CGTC is a public institution located in Warner Robins, Georgia.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Central Georgia Technical College is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Georgia. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $3,139 a year.
Learn More About Value at Central Georgia Technical College
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school located in Los Angeles, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Los Angeles is ranked #6 for quality in the state of California. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $13,393 a year.
Read full value report on University of California - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #13, Baruch College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Baruch College is a fairly large public school located in New York, New York.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Baruch College is ranked #25 for quality in the state of New York. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $3,793 a year.
Full Baruch College Value Report
Michigan State University landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan State University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $8,738.
Full Michigan State University Value Report
Fashion Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking, coming in at #15. This medium-sized public school is located in New York, New York.
Not only is Fashion Institute of Technology a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in New York for overall quality. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $8,637.
Learn More About Value at Fashion Institute of Technology
With a ranking of #16, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and has a large student population. It is a public school.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has the honor of being ranked #2 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $11,508 a year.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Value Report
Hunter College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Hunter is located in New York, New York and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Hunter College is ranked #23 for quality in the state of New York. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $4,586 a year.
Read full value report on Hunter College
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California.
California State University - Los Angeles has the honor of being ranked #76 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $2,695.
Read full value report on California State University - Los Angeles
University of Florida ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Florida is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Florida. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $9,809 a year.
Read full value report on University of Florida
El Centro College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. El Centro College is a public institution located in Dallas, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, El Centro College is ranked #17 for quality in the state of Texas. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $4,803 a year.
Read full value report on El Centro College
San Diego State University landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school located in San Diego, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, San Diego State University is ranked #21 for quality in the state of California. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $6,867 a year.
Read full value report on San Diego State University
John Jay College of Criminal Justice did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking, coming in at #22. John Jay is located in New York, New York and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice has the honor of being ranked #19 in New York for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $5,077 a year.
Learn More About Value at John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Hillsborough Community College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. HCC is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida.
Hillsborough Community College has the honor of being ranked #18 in Florida for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $2,215 a year.
Full Hillsborough Community College Value Report
Cleveland Community College landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Shelby, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Cleveland Community College is ranked #17 for quality in the state of North Carolina. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $1,048 a year.
Full Cleveland Community College Value Report
California State University - Fullerton ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California.
Not only is California State University - Fullerton a great value, but it is also ranked #48 in California for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $4,939 a year.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Fullerton
