- Attending college is expensive, especially for families taking out thousands of dollars in student loans.
- Thankfully, there are dozens of affordable public and private schools that offer financial aid to students in need.
- We compiled the 25 best colleges for your money, according to Niche, a school rankings site that accounted for each university’s yearly tuition, net price, or average price with financial aid, and average alumni income.
- The United States Merchant Marine Academy landed the top spot, followed by MIT and Stanford University.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Attending a four-year university requires a long-term financial commitment, which sometimes lasts for decades. Some families are forced to take out student loans, but they never see a return on their investment. And according to experts, college tuition is only going to keep rising.
Some private universities offer generous financial aid packages, while many states offer financial aid to resident students in need. We looked at Niche’s 2021 rankings for the schools with the best value, measured based on tuition, net price, or the average annual cost after considering typical financial aid amounts, and the average income of alumni six years after graduating.
For each school, we’ve noted the tuition, net price, the average amount of financial aid each school gives its students per year, the percentage of students that actually get that aid, graduation rates, employment rates two years after graduation, and median earnings six years after graduation.
Here are the top 25 colleges with the best value in the US.
Ivan De Luce contributed reporting to a previous version of this post.
25. Babson College — Wellesley, Massachusetts
Tuition: $51,104
Net price: $29,587
Average total aid awarded each year: $38,895
Students receiving financial aid: 50%
Graduation rate: 91%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 91%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $96,100
24. Massachusetts Maritime Academy — Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
Tuition (out-of-state): $26,106
Net price: $15,290
Average total aid awarded each year: $11,129
Students receiving financial aid: 91%
Graduation rate: 73%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 97%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $86,600
23. Stevens Institute of Technology — Hoboken, New Jersey
Tuition: $52,394
Net price: $39,862
Average total aid awarded each year: $26,822
Students receiving financial aid: 99%
Graduation rate: 87%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 94%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $89,200
22. Colorado School of Mines — Golden, Colorado
Tuition (out-of-state): $38,584
Net price: $25,767
Average total aid awarded: $10,829
Students receiving financial aid: 91%
Graduation rate: 80%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 95%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $84,900
21. Virginia Military Institute — Lexington, Virginia
Tuition (out-of-state): $45,706
Net price: $14,799
Average total aid awarded: $17,188
Students receiving financial aid: 94%
Graduation rate: 78%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 97%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $65,700
20. Cornell University — Ithaca, New York
Tuition: $55,188
Net price: $28,890
Average total aid awarded: $41,405
Students receiving financial aid: 60%
Graduation rate: 95%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 93%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $77,200
19. Dartmouth College — Hanover, New Hampshire
Tuition: $53,496
Net price: $23,394
Average total aid awarded: $48,433
Students receiving financial aid: 58%
Graduation rate: 95%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 94%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $75,500
18. Williams College — Williamstown, Massachusetts
Tuition: $55,450
Net price: $18,979
Average total aid awarded: $51,671
Students receiving financial aid: 63%
Graduation rate: 95%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 90%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $59,000
17. University of Notre Dame — Notre Dame, Indiana
Tuition: $53,391
Net price: $30,229
Average total aid awarded: $39,153
Students receiving financial aid: 66%
Graduation rate: 97%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 95%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $78,400
16. Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences — Albany, New York
Tuition: $35,105
Net price: $29,802
Average total aid awarded: $17,481
Students receiving financial aid: 100%
Graduation rate: 66%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 98%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $124,700
15. University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tuition: $55,584
Net price: $26,266
Average total aid awarded: $46,318
Students receiving financial aid: 58%
Graduation rate: 95%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 91%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $85,900
14. Colgate University — Hamilton, New York
Tuition: $55,530
Net price: $23,058
Average total aid awarded: $46,802
Students receiving financial aid: 49%
Graduation rate: 89%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 93%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $63,600
13. Georgia Institute of Technology — Atlanta, Georgia
Tuition (out-of-state): $33,020
Net price: $16,950
Average total aid awarded: $12,716
Students receiving financial aid: 79%
Graduation rate: 87%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 95%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $79,100
12. Washington & Lee University — Lexington, Virginia
Tuition: $52,455
Net price: $21,918
Average total aid awarded: $45,232
Students receiving financial aid: 64%
Graduation rate: 95%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 94%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $76,100
11. Yale University — New Haven, Connecticut
Tuition: $55,500
Net price: $18,748
Average total aid awarded: $52,542
Students receiving financial aid: 60%
Graduation rate: 97%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 92%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $83,200
10. Rice University — Houston, Texas
Tuition: $47,350
Net price: $23,202
Average total aid awarded: $39,956
Students receiving financial aid: 69%
Graduation rate: 95%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 92%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $65,400
9. Carnegie Mellon University — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Tuition: $55,465
Net price: $30,847
Average total aid awarded: $39,213
Students receiving financial aid: 59%
Graduation rate: 89%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 91%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $83,600
8. Harvey Mudd College — Claremont, California
Tuition: $56,620
Net price: $38,768
Average total aid awarded: $35,660
Students receiving financial aid: 76%
Graduation rate: 92%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 89%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $88,800
7. Princeton University — Princeton, New Jersey
Tuition: $50,340
Net price: $16,192
Average total aid awarded: $50,758
Students receiving financial aid: 62%
Graduation rate: 96%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 87%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $74,700
6. Duke University — Durham, North Carolina
Tuition: $55,695
Net price: $19,785
Average total aid awarded: $52,681
Students receiving financial aid: 66%
Graduation rate: 96%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 94%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $84,400
5. Harvard University — Cambridge, Massachusetts
Tuition: $50,420
Net price: $17,590
Average total aid awarded: $53,545
Students receiving financial aid: 77%
Graduation rate: 98%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 89%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $89,700
4. California Institute of Technology — Pasadena, California
Tuition: $52,362
Net price: $26,361
Average total aid awarded: $42,540
Students receiving financial aid: 64%
Graduation rate: 92%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 89%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $85,900
3. Stanford University — Stanford, California
Tuition: $51,354
Net price: $17,271
Average total aid awarded: $51,838
Students receiving financial aid: 68%
Graduation rate: 94%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 94%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $94,000
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Cambridge, Massachusetts
Tuition: $51,832
Net price: $18,971
Average total aid awarded: $48,459
Students receiving financial aid: 73%
Graduation rate: 94%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 94%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $104,700
1. The United States Merchant Marine Academy — Kings Point, New York
Tuition: $1,080
Net price: $3,119
Average total aid awarded: $4,142
Students receiving financial aid: 38%
Graduation rate: 84%
Employed 2 years after graduation: 97%
Median earnings 6 years after graduation: $88,100