Best value colleges in America

Once upon a time, college was a core component of the American dream. Higher education was seen as the best pathway into high-earning fields, in turn enabling graduates to achieve milestones like homeownership and starting a family.

But, in 2025, as tuition costs reach all-time highs and student debt balloons to levels that are nearly impossible to repay, opinions are changing. For many, the financial costs of a college education greatly outweigh the potential benefits. Those in this camp argue that the time and resources spent on a college degree could be better invested in gaining real-life experience in the workforce that's both useful and compensated.

Despite the cost, college remains a worthwhile investment for many, and some research supports that assertion. For example, the average full-time worker over 25 years old in the U.S. with a bachelor's degree makes 1.6 times as much money as someone with a high school diploma, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's proof education is still highly valued in today's information economy—and it's projected to become increasingly so. A 2023 study from Georgetown University's Center for Education and the Workforce found that by 2031, 57% of jobs will require a post-secondary degree.

Though there are statistics to back up both sides of the "is college really worth it?" argument, the answer is a bit more complicated. Still, there are certainly some institutions that are more rewarding than others. To that end, Stacker compiled a list of the best value colleges in America using Niche's 2026 rankings. The rankings are based on student and alumni reviews, as well as data from the Department of Education, like net price, alumni earnings, graduation rates, and student debt. (You can read the full methodology here.)

Read on for the top 50 value colleges in the U.S., which shows that schools of all kinds have figured out how to make higher education valuable for students, even in today's economy.

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#50. SUNY Farmingdale State College

- Location: Farmingdale, NY
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 69%
- Overall Niche grade: B
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $8,224
- Typical SAT range: 1020-1200

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#49. Saint Elizabeth University

- Location: Morristown, NJ
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 77%
- Overall Niche grade: B
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $18,412
- Typical SAT range: 890-1100

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#48. Colorado School of Mines

- Location: Golden, CO
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 60%
- Overall Niche grade: A
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $29,785
- Typical SAT range: 1320-1470

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#47. Bowdoin College

- Location: Brunswick, ME
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $23,110
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1550

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#46. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

- Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 30%
- Overall Niche grade: A
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $16,888
- Typical SAT range: 1220-1410

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#45. University of Florida

- Location: Gainesville, FL
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 24%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $11,521
- Typical SAT range: 1300-1480

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#44. Berea College

- Location: Berea, KY
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 33%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $4,379
- Typical SAT range: 1160-1340

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#43. Holy Family University

- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 74%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $13,016
- Typical SAT range: 950-1140

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#42. Brown University

- Location: Providence, RI
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,608
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

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#41. Missouri University of Science and Technology

- Location: Rolla, MO
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 73%
- Overall Niche grade: A-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $14,414
- Typical SAT range: 1150-1380

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#40. American Public University System

- Location: 4 Year (Online)
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $10,322
- Typical SAT range: not available

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#39. University of California - San Diego

- Location: La Jolla, CA
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 25%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $13,293
- Typical SAT range: not available

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#38. Washington and Lee University

- Location: Lexington, VA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 17%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $24,667
- Typical SAT range: 1410-1530

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#37. Michigan Technological University

- Location: Houghton, MI
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 88%
- Overall Niche grade: A
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $17,928
- Typical SAT range: 1120-1330

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#36. University of California - Berkeley

- Location: Berkeley, CA
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $16,997
- Typical SAT range: 1310-1530

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#35. Lehigh University

- Location: Bethlehem, PA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 29%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $33,289
- Typical SAT range: 1350-1490

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#34. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

- Location: Champaign, IL
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 44%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $14,297
- Typical SAT range: 1270-1510

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#33. Western Governors University

- Location: 4 Year (Online)
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $9,555
- Typical SAT range: not available

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#32. Cornell University

- Location: Ithaca, NY
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,455
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

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#31. Helene Fuld College of Nursing

- Location: New York, NY
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 24%
- Overall Niche grade: unavailable
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $37,732
- Typical SAT range: not available

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#30. Vanderbilt University

- Location: Nashville, TN
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,689
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1560

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#29. Massachusetts Maritime Academy

- Location: Buzzards Bay, MA
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 95%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $20,759
- Typical SAT range: not available

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#28. New Jersey Institute of Technology

- Location: Newark, NJ
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 67%
- Overall Niche grade: A-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $16,736
- Typical SAT range: 1210-1470

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#27. University of Notre Dame

- Location: Notre Dame, IN
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $29,083
- Typical SAT range: 1440-1540

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#26. Williams College

- Location: Williamstown, MA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $16,988
- Typical SAT range: 1470-1560

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#25. Northwestern University

- Location: Evanston, IL
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $23,341
- Typical SAT range: 1490-1560

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#24. Columbia University

- Location: New York, NY
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 4%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $20,869
- Typical SAT range: 1490-1570

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#23. Lehman College - City University of New York (CUNY)

- Location: Bronx, NY
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 55%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $4,076
- Typical SAT range: 860-1220

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#22. Johns Hopkins University

- Location: Baltimore, MD
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $22,844
- Typical SAT range: 1530-1580

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#21. Swarthmore College

- Location: Swarthmore, PA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,930
- Typical SAT range: 1460-1560

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#20. Amherst College

- Location: Amherst, MA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,965
- Typical SAT range: 1360-1550

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#19. Duke University

- Location: Durham, NC
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $23,422
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1570

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#18. California State University - Maritime Academy

- Location: Vallejo, CA
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 99%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $16,081
- Typical SAT range: not available

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#17. Washington University in St. Louis

- Location: Saint Louis, MO
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $22,440
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

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#16. CUNY Baruch College

- Location: New York, NY
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 50%
- Overall Niche grade: A-
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $3,989
- Typical SAT range: 1210-1410

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#15. Rice University

- Location: Houston, TX
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $20,587
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

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#14. Georgia Institute of Technology

- Location: Atlanta, GA
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $15,901
- Typical SAT range: 1330-1530

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#13. University of Pennsylvania

- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $26,017
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

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#12. Carnegie Mellon University

- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $32,964
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

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#11. Yale University

- Location: New Haven, CT
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $26,044
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

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#10. New Mexico Tech

- Location: Socorro, NM
- College type: Public
- Acceptance rate: 54%
- Overall Niche grade: A
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $9,133
- Typical SAT range: 1040-1290

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#9. Claremont McKenna College

- Location: Claremont, CA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $29,978
- Typical SAT range: 1450-1560

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#8. Dartmouth College

- Location: Hanover, NH
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,322
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

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#7. Pomona College

- Location: Claremont, CA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,423
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

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#6. Princeton University

- Location: Princeton, NJ
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 4%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $19,811
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

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#5. Harvard University

- Location: Cambridge, MA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 3%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,900
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

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#4. Stanford University

- Location: Stanford, CA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 4%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,998
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1580

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#3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

- Location: Cambridge, MA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $21,519
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1580

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#2. Harvey Mudd College

- Location: Claremont, CA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 13%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $42,720
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

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#1. California Institute of Technology

- Location: Pasadena, CA
- College type: Private
- Acceptance rate: 3%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $23,397
- Typical SAT range: 1530-1580