by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Schools For The Money For Those Making $48-$75k for a Bachelor's ranking - to help you make that 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:
We analyzed 1,427 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.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Bachelor's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $48-$75k a year. The net price is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. 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.
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 $48-$75k) school for bachelor’s degrees in the United States in this year’s ranking. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
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
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list. 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.
Read full value report on Columbia University in the City of New York
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list. Located in Stanford, California, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Stanford University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in California for overall quality.
A rank of #4 on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list means Harvard University is a great place for students working on their degree. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has a large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Harvard University is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Massachusetts. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $538.
Out of the 1,427 bachelor’s degree schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. 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. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,300.
Yale University did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking, coming in at #6. Yale is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut.
Yale University has the honor of being ranked #1 in Connecticut for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $3,957.
California Institute of Technology ranked #7 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list. California Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in Pasadena, California.
California Institute of Technology has the honor of being ranked #4 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,404.
Cornell University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list. This large private not-for-profit school is 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. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $4,035.
University of Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
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 $48-$75k per year is $7,432.
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking, coming in at #10. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Baltimore, Maryland.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Johns Hopkins University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Maryland. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,586.
Williams College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list. Williams is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Williams College has the honor of being ranked #8 in Massachusetts for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $1,312.
Rice University landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas.
Rice University has the honor of being ranked #1 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,320.
Princeton University did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking, coming in at #13. Princeton is located in Princeton, New Jersey and has a medium-sized student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Princeton University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of New Jersey. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,975.
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school located in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Not only is Purdue University - Main Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Indiana for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $4,645.
Northwestern University landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois.
Northwestern University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $9,389.
Washington and Lee University did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking, coming in at #16. Washington and Lee is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lexington, Virginia.
Not only is Washington and Lee University a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Virginia for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $4,132.
Brown University did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking, coming in at #17. Brown is located in Providence, Rhode Island and has a fairly large student population. 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. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,446.
Duke University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located 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. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $10,304.
Washington University in St Louis ranked #19 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
Washington University in St Louis has the honor of being ranked #1 in Missouri for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $9,248.
Vanderbilt University landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee and has a fairly large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Vanderbilt University has the honor of being ranked #1 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,117.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) 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. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,271.
Read full value report on University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Colby College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list. Colby is located in Waterville, Maine and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Colby College a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Maine for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,314.
University of Florida ranked #23 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) list. This large public school is located in Gainesville, Florida.
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. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,590.
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school located in Los Angeles, California.
Not only is University of California - Los Angeles a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $10,217.
Georgetown University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking. Georgetown University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Washington, District of Columbia.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Georgetown University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of District of Columbia. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $10,579.
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 | Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, PA | Value Report |
| 52 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA | Value Report |
| 53 | Fashion Institute of Technology | New York, NY | Value Report |
| 54 | John Jay College of Criminal Justice | New York, NY | Value Report |
| 55 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL | Value Report |
| 56 | Baruch College | New York, NY | Value Report |
| 57 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA | Value Report |
| 58 | William & Mary | Williamsburg, VA | Value Report |
| 59 | California State University - San Bernardino | San Bernardino, CA | Value Report |
| 60 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA | Value Report |
| 61 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL | Value Report |
| 62 | Wellesley College | Wellesley, MA | Value Report |
| 63 | Seattle Central College | Seattle, WA | Value Report |
| 64 | Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA | Value Report |
| 65 | Emory University | Atlanta, GA | Value Report |
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|
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These schools also performed well in our Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 216 | Rutgers University - Camden | Camden, NJ | Value Report |
| 217 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA | Value Report |
| 218 | Indiana University - Northwest | Gary, IN | Value Report |
| 219 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE | Value Report |
| 220 | Columbia Basin College | Pasco, WA | Value Report |
| 220 | Oakland City University | Oakland City, IN | Value Report |
| 222 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO | Value Report |
| 223 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN | Value Report |
| 224 | University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras | San Juan, PR | Value Report |
| 225 | Indiana University - Southeast | New Albany, IN | Value Report |
| 226 | College of Southern Nevada | Las Vegas, NV | Value Report |
| 227 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | Socorro, NM | Value Report |
| 228 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock, PA | Value Report |
| 229 | Minot State University | Minot, ND | Value Report |
| 230 | Clark College | Vancouver, WA | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.