Best Affordable Colleges

The Mega List of Scholarships You Should Apply For
Don’t let your up-front costs scare you! Here is a mega list of some of the best scholarships around.

See Scholarships

Your Comprehensive Guide to Pell Grants
If you’re new to the financial aid scene, the whole process can seem very murky. What are Pell Grants? How do you know if you qualify?

Learn More

Methodology

Let’s take a moment to define a couple terms to better understand the actual cost of attending college.

Posted price: This is the “sticker price” that colleges post on their website, typically considered the maximum price of a full-time student before any grants/financial aid are applied. It’s unlikely you’ll have to pay that much money.

Net price: This is the amount a student will pay after scholarships and grants are deducted from the posted price. It’s the price that you should use when comparing the cost of colleges. If one school has offered you a great scholarship, its net price is likely to be better than that of a comparable school that has not offered any aid.

In order to better understand the actual price students are paying for college (and thus the relative affordability of them), we have identified the net-price of every school for five different household income brackets. The US Department of Education (DOE) publishes data on the average net-price that is paid at each school. These data are also broken down to show the net price that families of varying incomes are paying. The five household income brackets are: $0-$30,000 a year, $30,001-$48,000, $48,001-$75,000, $75,001-$110,000, and $110,001 and up. Using in-state tuition for public colleges and three years’ worth of the most recent data, we then found the average prices of our schools according to each income bracket.

We also took debt and salary information from the DOE’s College Scorecard tool. These data are also classified by income brackets, albeit slightly different ones. Students’ median debt is recorded and categorized by three family income brackets: $0-$30,000, $30,001-$75,000, and $75,001 and up. The College Scorecard also publishes data on the mean earnings of students working and not enrolled 10 years after starting college as well as the “share of students earning more than a high school graduate (threshold earnings) 6 years after entry.” These two last data points tell us more about how students fare after they leave the school. This helps us balance cost, debt, and the return on a student’s investment.

We first ranked schools nationally by their DOE net price and College Scorecard median debt. Those with the lowest dollar amounts in the top 10% or top 20% were identified for each income bracket. From there, we assigned weighted scores to each category, with higher weights for the lower three net price brackets and the bottom two median debt brackets.

With those weighted scores applied and added together, we then compared the schools that made it into our top 10%/20% and individually analyzed their overall affordability profile. Schools that finished in the 50 places among our Colleges of Distinction annual list were selected for inclusion. Only schools that have passed the Colleges of Distinction qualification process were considered for this award.

We then looked at schools by category: state, size, private/public status, undergraduate profile, and percentage of Pell grant students. For each of these areas, we added schools to the list that were awarded in the top 20% of their peer group in at least one category. For these schools, we also considered mean earnings data and threshold earnings. Wherever there was a question about overall affordability, we used strong earnings data as a way to push a school over the bar. This process brought our total to 124 colleges and universities.

Full Data Table

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I afford college?

Financial Aid
Before anything, you are going to want to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. This document is available to all U.S. students attending college, and with a little help from a parent or guardian, it can be done relatively easily. Some schools also require a lesser-known yet similar type of financial aid, which is called a CSS (College Scholarship Service) Profile. When deciding where to enroll, make sure to have a copy of both documents ready to be sent to whichever schools have accepted you..

Work-Study/Work
While not an option for all students, it could be worthwhile to apply for work-study to help put money toward your tuition. Because work-study is a federally funded form of employment, you will need to have completed your FAFSA to find out whether you qualify. Even if you don’t qualify for work-study, you can also look for other part-time job opportunities in the area.

Scholarships/Grants
Believe it or not, scholarships and grants are actually where a majority of many students’ college funding comes from. It does take a lot of research to scrounge around for different scholarships, but it is well worth it.

Here are some types of grants offered federally each year:

1. Federal Pell Grants

This is money that many students receive if their FAFSAs demonstrate that they have financial need. Since these are grants, they do not ever have to be repaid. While the amount varies based on household income and available funds, every eligible student will receive some aid. Anyone can apply to receive a Pell Grant as long as they have not already obtained a bachelor’s degree.

2. FSEOG Program Grants (Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant)

Like a Pell Grant, funding from the FSEOG Program does not need to be repaid. These grants are for any type of undergraduate student and can be applied to things like tuition, campus housing, and more. This grant is typically oriented toward students with low-income backgrounds.

3. TEACH Grant

This grant is specifically for students who are interested in becoming teachers after completing their education. While typically reserved for students from low-income households, this grant awards those who agree to teach for a certain length of time and/or in high-need fields after graduating. Should your career path change and you decide not to teach, this grant will need to be repaid.

If you do not see any funding for which you qualify here, don’t lose hope! There are resources like Candid that can link you up with resources more adequately suited to what you’re looking for.

Outside Loans
Unlike grants and scholarships, loans will need to be repaid. You can apply for loans through the government, or you can get them from private companies.

Federal Loans, like the Stafford Loan and Federal Perkins Loan, are the most common among students. Repayment options are consistent for all who use them.

Private Loans are relatively common, though repayment options, interest rates, and more vary by location and private lender.

What college has the lowest cost?

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College has a $3,897 average net price for students (across all income brackets) for the 2019-2020 school year. This makes it the lowest cost college among our awarded institutions.

What college has the lowest debt?

CUNY New York City College of Technology has a median debt of $10,226 (across all income brackets) for the 2019-2020 school year. This makes it the lowest-debt college among our awarded institutions.

Other low-debt colleges.

What is the best affordable college?

• Washington and Lee University
• Average net price for lowest income bracket: $841
• Median debt for all income brackets: $19,500
• 6-year graduation rate (3-year average): 94%
• Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
• Retention rate: 97%

What state has the most affordable colleges?

California comes in with 11 colleges named to our Best Affordable Colleges list. They include 3 private colleges and 8 public colleges.

Is a 4-year college worth it?

Despite the rising cost of higher education and what many reports would have us believe, investing in a college education remains a solid, profitable investment.

Students who take out loans to pay for college have debt to repay when they graduate, so their concerns about the cost of a college education are understandable. However, these students have still made a smart financial decision, because not all debt is the same; there is both good debt and bad debt.

Return on investment in a college education outperforms most other investment options. A paper published by The Hamilton Project explains that the “average return on a four-year college degree is more than double the average return on stock market investments made since 1950 and more than five times the returns to corporate bonds, gold, long-term government bonds, or home ownership.”

Nominate for Consideration

Fill out this nomination form or pass it along to fellow colleagues, students, or alumni. With your nomination, we can help connect students with the right school for them.

Content Licensing

All logos and editorial content on CollegesofDistinction.com and any of its affiliate sites are trademark and copyright protected. All commercial use requires the express written consent of Colleges of Distinction. To request permission for use please contact our team at licensing@collegesofdistinction.com.