2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in the Far Western US Region
With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Far Western US Region Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Our analysis looked at 142 schools to determine which ones were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in the Far Western US Region. This ranking doesn't just identify the colleges with the lowest costs. Rather, it highlights those institutions that offer excellent educational experiences for a lower cost than other schools of roughly the same caliber. Because of this, it is possible for one college to rank better than another, even if the latter college has a lower average cost.
Learn more about our ranking methodology.
To calculate the average cost amount, we sum up the total expenses to attend a school - such as tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other living expenses. This estimate is meant to give you a better picture of how much money you'll have to pay each year, either through self-pay, loans, or external scholarships.
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Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in the Far Western US Region
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Thomas Aquinas College to be the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in the Far Western US Region in this year’s ranking. Located in Santa Paula, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 83 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The average student at TAC graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $38,164 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from TAC is $159,144. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great value ranking, TAC is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #2 in the Far Western US Region on this year’s best value ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 5,185 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.5 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $38,952 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $174,115. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Hawaii. The school came in at #3 in the Far Western US Region on this year’s best value ranking. BYU - H is located in Laie, Hawaii and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 623 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at BYU - H is 4.8 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $19,776 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the BYU - H is $93,936. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California State University Maritime Academy helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in the Far Western US Region . Vallejo, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 257 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at Cal Maritime to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $37,129 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Cal Maritime be around $158,912. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Western Washington University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in the Far Western US Region . WWU is a fairly large public school situated in Bellingham, Washington. It awarded 3,785 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At WWU, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.5 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $36,749 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from WWU is $165,370. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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California State University - Long Beach ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. This large public school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 8,950 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Cal State Long Beach, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 5.0 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $33,268 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Long Beach is $165,009. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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Alaska Pacific University landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. Alaska Pacific University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Anchorage, Alaska that handed out 55 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Alaska Pacific about 4.3 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $34,600 per year to attend the school. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Alaska Pacific be around $147,742. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
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Washington State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. Wazzu is located in Pullman, Washington and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 5,827 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Wazzu is 4.5 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $38,781 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Wazzu is $172,963. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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Soka University of America did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #9. Soka University is located in Aliso Viejo, California and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 118 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average student at Soka University graduates in less than 4.0 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $50,968 per year to attend the school. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Soka University is about $206,420. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Soka University also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking.
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University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 9,269 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At UW Seattle, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $49,252. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UW Seattle is about $208,828. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. UW Seattle excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list.
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San Diego State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #11. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 8,159 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average student at SDSU graduates in less than 4.6 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $39,200 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from SDSU be around $180,320. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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University of Nevada - Reno ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. UNR is a large public school situated in Reno, Nevada. It awarded 4,101 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at UNR about 4.6 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $37,203 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UNR is about $170,762. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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California State University - Chico came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,417 students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Chico State about 4.7 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $33,970. This means that the average student pays around $159,999 to get a bachelor’s degree from Chico State. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #14 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Pomona, California, the large public school awarded 4,810 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.9 years for the average student at CSU Pomona to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $36,580 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from CSU Pomona is $179,242. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Oregon State University landed the #15 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Corvallis, Oregon, the large public school awarded 5,981 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
At Oregon State, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.5 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $42,957 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Oregon State be around $195,025. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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California State University - Fullerton ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 9,996 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.9 years for the average student at Cal State Fullerton to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $36,062 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Fullerton is $175,261. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The low student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #17, California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized public school located in Seaside, California that handed out 1,953 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.7 years for the average student at California State University - Monterey Bay to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $32,849. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from California State University - Monterey Bay is $152,748. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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University of Hawaii at Hilo landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. UHH is located in Hilo, Hawaii and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 774 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes the average student at UHH about 4.7 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $30,574. This means that the average student pays around $144,004 to get a bachelor’s degree from UHH. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Sonoma State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. Sonoma State University is a medium-sized public school located in Rohnert Park, California that handed out 2,444 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at SSU graduates in less than 4.6 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $36,228 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from SSU be around $167,011. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Central Washington University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #20. CWU is located in Ellensburg, Washington and has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 2,789 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.5 years for the average student at CWU to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $35,574 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from CWU is $160,794. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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University of Oregon ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. University of Oregon is a large public school located in Eugene, Oregon that handed out 5,139 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At UO, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.3 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $48,589 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from UO is $209,419. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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The Master’s College and Seminary ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. The Master’s College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clarita, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 280 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at The Master’s College to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $41,416 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from The Master’s College is $178,503. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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California State University - Fresno came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Fresno, California, the large public school handed out 4,921 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 5.0 years for the average student at Fresno State to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $29,689 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $147,257 to get a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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University of California - Los Angeles ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 9,069 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UCLA is 4.2 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $58,315 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UCLA is $243,174. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCLA also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking.
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Warner Pacific College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. Warner Pacific College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Portland, Oregon that handed out 76 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at Warner Pacific to complete their degree, and it costs students who receive no aid about $32,130 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $138,159 to get a bachelor’s degree from Warner Pacific. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for the Money ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Oregon Institute of Technology | Klamath Falls, OR |
| 27 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 28 | John Paul the Great Catholic University | Escondido, CA |
More Far Western US Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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