2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in the Middle Atlantic Region
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Our analysis looked at 285 schools to determine which ones were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in the Middle Atlantic 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 Middle Atlantic Region
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
SUNY Geneseo tops this year’s ranking as the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in the Middle Atlantic Region. Located in Geneseo, New York, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,408 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at SUNY Geneseo to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $33,121 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 SUNY Geneseo is $136,459. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 in the Middle Atlantic Region on this year’s best value ranking. Located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,807 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The average student at SRU graduates in less than 4.3 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $27,866. 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 SRU is $119,545. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The school came in at #3 in the Middle Atlantic Region on this year’s best value ranking. SUNY - ESF is a public institution located in Syracuse, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 459 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at SUNY - ESF graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $36,992. 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 SUNY - ESF is $154,257. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SUNY - ESF also is in the top 20% of our Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
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A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region list means SUNY Oneonta is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Oneonta, New York, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,527 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At SUNY Oneonta, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $32,454 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Oneonta be around $135,658. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend SUNY New Paltz. The school came in at #5 in the Middle Atlantic Region on this year’s best value ranking. Located in New Paltz, New York, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,925 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at SUNY New Paltz graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $32,955. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from SUNY New Paltz is $140,059. 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 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #6, SUNY Polytechnic Institute did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region list. SUNY Poly is a small public school situated in Utica, New York. It awarded 526 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at SUNY Poly is 4.3 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $31,601 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Poly is about $134,620. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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SUNY Cortland ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Cortland, New York, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,560 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at SUNY Cortland about 4.3 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $32,502 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $139,109 to get a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cortland. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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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Salisbury University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Salisbury, Maryland, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,867 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Salisbury, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.3 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $33,635 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Salisbury is $145,303. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #9, Binghamton University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Binghamton University is a public institution located in Vestal, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,888 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Binghamton University graduates in less than 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $40,645 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Binghamton University is $167,864. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Binghamton University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
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West Chester University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #10. West Chester, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,698 students in 2018-2019.
At WCUPA, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.4 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $35,687 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from WCUPA is $155,952. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #11, SUNY Plattsburgh did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Plattsburgh, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,538 students in 2018-2019.
The average student at SUNY Plattsburgh graduates in less than 4.3 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $33,500. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Plattsburgh be around $143,380. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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University at Buffalo came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in Buffalo, New York, the large public school handed out 5,273 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at University at Buffalo to complete their degree, and it costs students who receive no aid about $41,015 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $173,493 to get a bachelor’s degree from University at Buffalo. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, University at Buffalo also is in the top 20% of our Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
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With a ranking of #13, Stony Brook University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Stony Brook, New York, the large public school handed out 4,945 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At SUNY Stony Brook, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.3 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $40,114 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Stony Brook be around $172,891. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in our value rankings, SUNY Stony Brook also did well on our Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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SUNY Fredonia landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in Fredonia, New York, the small public school awarded 955 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
At SUNY Fredonia, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.3 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $30,695 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the SUNY Fredonia is $131,375. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #15, SUNY Oswego did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region list. SUNY Oswego is a medium-sized public school located in Oswego, New York that handed out 1,806 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at SUNY Oswego about 4.2 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $32,307 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Oswego be around $136,982. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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The College at Brockport did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #16. SUNY Brockport is a medium-sized public school situated in Brockport, New York. It awarded 1,985 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at SUNY Brockport to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $32,051. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Brockport is $137,499. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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SUNY Maritime College landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in Throggs Neck, New York, the small public school handed out 383 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at SUNY Maritime is 4.4 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $34,273. This means that the average student pays around $151,829 to get a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Maritime. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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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CUNY Hunter College landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Hunter is located in New York, New York and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 3,496 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
At Hunter, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.6 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $29,554 per year to attend the school. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Hunter is $136,835. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Ramapo College of New Jersey came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Ramapo College is a medium-sized public school situated in Mahwah, New Jersey. It awarded 1,307 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Ramapo College about 4.2 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $38,954 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Ramapo College is $164,775. 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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The College of New Jersey did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #20. This medium-sized public school is located in Ewing, New Jersey, and it awarded 1,685 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At TCNJ, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $44,338 per year to attend the school. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from TCNJ is about $183,116. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, TCNJ also is in the top 15% of our Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
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University at Albany came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. UAlbany is located in Albany, New York and has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 3,525 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at UAlbany to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $39,267 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from UAlbany be around $163,351. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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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St Mary’s College of Maryland came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This small public school is located in St. Mary’s City, Maryland, and it awarded 480 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at SMCM graduates in less than 4.1 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $42,278 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from SMCM is $174,185. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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With a ranking of #23, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,451 students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Pitt about 4.2 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $45,589. 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 Pitt is $192,841. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Pitt also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Kutztown University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #24. Kutztown, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,651 students in 2018-2019.
At Kutztown University, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.3 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $31,254. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Kutztown University is $135,330. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Elizabethtown College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Middle Atlantic Region list. E - town is located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 527 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes the average student at E - town about 4.1 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $45,860 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from E - town be around $187,109. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. E - town also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Request InformationRest of the Top 15% Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in the Middle Atlantic Region
Not only did these schools make the top-ranked list, but they also landed in the upper 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for the Money ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 43 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | New York, NY |
| 44 | Canisius College | Buffalo, NY |
| 44 | Pennsylvania State University - Erie - Behrend College | Erie, PA |
| 46 | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania | Edinboro, PA |
| 47 | Clarion University of Pennsylvania | Clarion, PA |
| 48 | Pennsylvania State University - University Park | University Park, PA |
| 49 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus | Indiana, PA |
| 50 | CUNY Queens College | Queens, NY |
| 51 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 52 | Messiah University | Mechanicsburg, PA |
| 53 | Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ |
| 54 | Lock Haven University | Lock Haven, PA |
| 55 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | Shippensburg, PA |
| 56 | Alfred State College | Alfred, NY |
| 57 | Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg | Middletown, PA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|
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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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