by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Bachelor's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking is part of that endeavor. 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:
We analyzed 1,432 schools across the United States to determine which have the best value Bachelor's Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Bachelor's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $30-$48k a year. The net price is 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 take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various 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.
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.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be the best value (income $30-$48k) school for bachelor’s degrees in the United States in this year’s ranking. MIT is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Not only is Massachusetts Institute of Technology a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Massachusetts for overall quality.
Read full value report on Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Out of the 1,432 bachelor’s degree schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the school is a large private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Pennsylvania is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Pennsylvania.
Out of the 1,432 bachelor’s degree schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Stanford, California, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
Stanford University has the honor of being ranked #1 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
The quality degree programs at Columbia University in the City of New York helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k). This large private not-for-profit school is located in New York, New York.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Columbia University in the City of New York is ranked #1 for quality in the state of New York.
Learn More About Value at Columbia University in the City of New York
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the school is a large private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Harvard University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Massachusetts for overall quality.
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, the school is a large private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Johns Hopkins University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Maryland for overall quality.
University of Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) list. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
University of Chicago has the honor of being ranked #1 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,316.
California Institute of Technology came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California.
Not only is California Institute of Technology a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $1,371.
Learn More About Value at California Institute of Technology
Cornell University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York.
Cornell University has the honor of being ranked #2 in New York for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $1,953.
Duke University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina.
Duke University has the honor of being ranked #1 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,301.
Georgetown University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking. Georgetown is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia.
Georgetown University has the honor of being ranked #1 in District of Columbia for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,182.
Yale University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in New Haven, Connecticut.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Yale University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Connecticut. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,177.
Washington University in St Louis ranked #13 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Washington University in St Louis is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Missouri. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,928.
Williams College landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Not only is Williams College a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in Massachusetts for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $360.
Washington and Lee University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking. Washington and Lee is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lexington, Virginia.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Washington and Lee University is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Virginia. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $743.
With a ranking of #16, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Northwestern University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Illinois for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,236.
Princeton University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking. Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey.
Not only is Princeton University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in New Jersey for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $5,544.
Rice University landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Rice University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,959.
Brown University did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking, coming in at #19. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Brown University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Rhode Island. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $5,870.
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Purdue University - Main Campus is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Indiana. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $2,955.
With a ranking of #20, University of Florida did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) list. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and has a large student population. It is a public school.
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 yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $1,385.
With a ranking of #22, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school located in Madison, Wisconsin.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Wisconsin - Madison is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Wisconsin. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,697.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor has the honor of being ranked #1 in Michigan for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,904.
did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking, coming in at #24.
With a ranking of #25, Dartmouth College did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) list. Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Not only is Dartmouth College a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in New Hampshire for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,099.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Wellesley College | Wellesley, MA | Value Report |
| 52 | John Jay College of Criminal Justice | New York, NY | Value Report |
| 53 | Tufts University | Medford, MA | Value Report |
| 54 | Boston University | Boston, MA | Value Report |
| 55 | California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton, CA | Value Report |
| 56 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL | Value Report |
| 57 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA | Value Report |
| 58 | California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | Value Report |
| 59 | Fashion Institute of Technology | New York, NY | Value Report |
| 60 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD | Value Report |
| 61 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA | Value Report |
| 62 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA | Value Report |
| 63 | Emory University | Atlanta, GA | Value Report |
| 64 | University of Maryland - Baltimore County | Baltimore, MD | Value Report |
| 65 | Hunter College | New York, NY | Value Report |
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|
All Majors and Fields of Study >
These schools also performed well in our Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 216 | University of Richmond | University of Richmond, VA | Value Report |
| 217 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI | Value Report |
| 218 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN | Value Report |
| 219 | Trinity Christian College | Palos Heights, IL | Value Report |
| 220 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | Honolulu, HI | Value Report |
| 220 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO | Value Report |
| 222 | University of Alaska Southeast | Juneau, AK | Value Report |
| 223 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT | Value Report |
| 224 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ | Value Report |
| 225 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA | Value Report |
| 226 | Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, MS | Value Report |
| 227 | Mount Holyoke College | South Hadley, MA | Value Report |
| 228 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA | Value Report |
| 229 | Florida Gulf Coast University | Fort Myers, FL | Value Report |
| 230 | Colorado College | Colorado Springs, CO | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.