While price is important, getting a good education is more important. But if you look hard, you can find a great education at a great price. Below is our list of top 100 most affordable universities in the United States for 2024. Each offers exceptional value for students looking for a great education – at a great price.
See also:
Top 100 Colleges and Universities – Top 100 Most Affordable Community Colleges – Top 100 Highest Acceptance – Top 100 Lowest Acceptance – Top Colleges by Major
| Rank | School Name | Net Price | Student Body |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University–Dominquez Hills Carson, CA | $1,640 | 14,700 |
| 2 | University of Texas–Pan American Edinburg, TX | $2,500 | 20,050 |
| 3 | California State University–Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | $2,735 | 24,488 |
| 4 | CUNY Leman College Bronx, New York | $2,327 | 12,400 |
| 5 | City College of New York New York, NY | $7,125 | 15,580 |
| 6 | Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC | $6,848 | 5,900 |
| 7 | Dalton State College Dalton, GA | $6,256 | 4,850 |
| 8 | University of Texas–El Paso El Paso, TX | $5,607 | 23,000 |
| 9 | CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY | $7,033 | 17,300 |
| 10 | Queens College of the CUNY Flushing, NY | $10,000 | 325 |
| 11 | California State University–Fresno Fresno, CA | $5,599 | 23,179 |
| 12 | University of Arkansas–Fort Smith Fort Smith, AR | $7,679 | 6,830 |
| 13 | Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK | $7,211 | 8,310 |
| 14 | California State University–San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA | $4,344 | 18,952 |
| 15 | Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY | $7,220 | 17,390 |
| 16 | Daytona State College Daytona Beach, FL | $5,064 | 13,248 |
| 17 | California State University–Fullerton Fullerton, CA | $5,542 | 38,128 |
| 18 | Louisiana State University–Shreveport Shreveport, LA | $7,433 | 4,186 |
| 19 | College of Staten Island Staten Island, NY | $9,575 | 14,346 |
| 20 | University of Louisiana–Monroe Monroe, LA | $9,488 | 9,002 |
| 21 | California State University–Stanislaus Turlock, CA | $6,340 | 9,045 |
| 22 | University of Alaska–Anchorage Anchorage, AK | $7,715 | 17,151 |
| 23 | East Central University Ada, OK | $6,058 | 4,428 |
| 24 | University of Texas–Brownsville New York, NY | $6,083 | 11,943 |
| 25 | Hunter College of the CUNY New York, NY | $8,129 | 23,112 |
| 26 | University of Tennessee at Martin Martin, TN | $10,000 | 10,000 |
| 27 | North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Greensboro, NC | $10,145 | 10,725 |
| 28 | Saint Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL | $7,499 | 32,681 |
| 29 | State University of New York College at Old Westbury West Bury, NY | $13,813 | 8,106 |
| 30 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, Louisiana | $8,463 | 17,195 |
| 31 | Purdue University North Central Westville, IN | $7,832 | 6,177 |
| 32 | Indiana University East Westville, IN | $7,975 | 4,573 |
| 33 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana Natchitoches, LA | $9,488 | 9,002 |
| 34 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN | $14,708 | 14,434 |
| 35 | University of Texas–Dallas Richardson, TX | $5,859 | 2,575 |
| 36 | California State University–Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA | $5,690 | 8,720 |
| 37 | Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR | $9,630 | 12,002 |
| 38 | Brigham Young University–Idaho Rexburg, ID | $7,968 | 36,624 |
| 39 | California State University–Long Beach Long Beach, CA | $7,672 | 36,809 |
| 40 | University of Alaska–Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK | $8,383 | 8,620 |
| 41 | Winston Salem State University Winston Salem, NC | $7,737 | 5,220 |
| 42 | California State University–Monterey Bay Sea Side, CA | $8,121 | 6,631 |
| 43 | Marshall University Huntington, WV | $8,738 | 13,381 |
| 44 | Shepherd University Shepherdstown, WV | $9,074 | 4,041 |
| 45 | Middle Georgia College Macon, GA | $17,015 | 6,772 |
| 46 | Prairie View A&M University Prairie View, TX | $8,628 | 8,429 |
| 47 | University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA | $8,661 | 9,234 |
| 48 | Fairmont State University Fairmont, WV | $8,717 | 4,035 |
| 49 | Rhode Island College Providence, RI | $8,372 | 8,641 |
| 50 | Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX | $8,596 | 15,071 |
| 51 | Midwestern State University Wichita Falls, TX | $10,172 | 5,874 |
| 52 | Nicholls State University Thibodaux, LA | $9,369 | 6,292 |
| 53 | Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA | $9,544 | 14,487 |
| 54 | University of Texas–Permian Basin Odessa, TX | $8,245 | 5,560 |
| 55 | Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR | $4,902 | 1,393 |
| 56 | California State University–Sacramento Sacramento, CA | $7,446 | 29,349 |
| 57 | Cameron University Lawton, OK | $9,442 | 5,537 |
| 58 | Wichita State University Wichita, KS | $9,843 | 14,995 |
| 59 | Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY | $8,298 | 15,090 |
| 60 | Utah Valley University Orem, UT | $6,766 | 31,332 |
| 61 | University of Washington–Tacoma Tacoma, WA | $9,410 | 4,477 |
| 62 | Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA | $9,252 | 11,225 |
| 63 | Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO | $8,700 | 5,613 |
| 64 | Kent State University–Stark North Canton, OH | $10,132 | 4,678 |
| 65 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN | $10,910 | 22,729 |
| 66 | University of Hawaii–Hilo Hilo, HI | $7,063 | 3,809 |
| 67 | University of Central Arkansas Conway, AK | $11,051 | 11,698 |
| 68 | University of Wisconsin–Parkside Kenosha, WI | $9,187 | 4,543 |
| 69 | University of Washington–Bothell Bothell, Washington | $9,209 | 4,962 |
| 70 | University of Michigan–Dearborn Dearborn, MI | $12,347 | 8,923 |
| 71 | University of Washington–Seattle Seattle, WA | $10,374 | 44,784 |
| 72 | University of North Carolina–Greensboro city, state | $10,076 | 18,647 |
| 73 | New Jersey City University city, state | $6,931 | 8,136 |
| 74 | University of North Carolina–Pembroke Pembroke, NC | $10,686 | 6,269 |
| 75 | North Carolina Central University–Durham, NC city, state | $9,701 | 7,687 |
| 76 | Missouri Western State University St. Joseph, MO | $10,021 | 5,834 |
| 77 | Savannah State University Savannah, GA | $9,894 | 4,915 |
| 78 | Eastern New Mexico University Portales, NM | $7,978 | 3,303 |
| 79 | Murray State University Murray, KY | $9,970 | 11,207 |
| 80 | University of Arkansas–Little Rock Little Rock, AK | $12,780 | 11,645 |
| 81 | Vincennes University Vincennes, IN | $9,963 | 19,205 |
| 82 | West Virginia University Morgantown, WV | $8,221 | 2,985 |
| 83 | Indiana University–Kokomo Kokomo, IN | $8,633 | 4,180 |
| 84 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA | $10,085 | 33,483 |
| 85 | Texas A&M University–Commerce Commerce, TX | $8,625 | 12,111 |
| 86 | University of Houston–Victoria Victoria, TX | $10,131 | 4,407 |
| 87 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | $17,952 | 16,963 |
| 88 | Indiana University–Southeast New Albany, IN | $11,510 | 6,442 |
| 89 | Applalachian State University Boone, NC | $11,508 | 18,026 |
| 90 | Chicago State University Chicago, IL | $10,610 | 5,211 |
| 91 | Weber State University Ogden, UT | $10,005 | 25,954 |
| 92 | Southwestern Oklahoma State University Weatherford, OK | $6,731 | 1,460 |
| 93 | University of North Alabama Florence, AL | $10,118 | 6,841 |
| 94 | Jackson State University Jackson, MI | $10,417 | 9,508 |
| 95 | University of Michigan–Flint Flint, MI | $11,657 | 8,574 |
| 96 | California State University–Northridge city, state | $10,196 | 40,131 |
| 97 | University of North Carolina–Charlotte Charlotte, NC | $10,000 | 27,238 |
| 98 | University of Illinois–Springfield Springfield, IL | $9,049 | 5,431 |
| 99 | Southern Polytechnic State University Marietta, GA | $11,692 | 6,786 |
| 100 | University of Massachusetts–Boston Boston, MA | $10,376 | 16,756 |
See also:
- Top 100 Colleges and Universities
- Top 100 Most Affordable Community Colleges
- Top 100 Highest Acceptance
- Top 100 Lowest Acceptance
- Top Colleges by Major
Determining what higher education path to pursue will be one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. This path will determine where you study, what you study and will impact your future career choice and earning potential. These days more and more people are attending community colleges because they provide a good return on investment. Attending a community college is inexpensive and allows students to develop targeted skills that are directly applicable in various trades and careers. However, while affordable, an education in the community lacks a bit of the prestigious, credential and higher education opportunity provided by a four-year university. For those who are looking to gain a university level education and degree, as affordably as possible, attending any one of the universities listed above is a great option.
So how did we develop our list? We started with a list of just under 2,700 regionally accredited universities provided by the National Center of Education Statistics–a U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences that collects and organizes data on higher education institutions operating in the United States. We then chose to use only those universities with a student body of at least 4,000 (mid-range to large schools)– the list above does not include smaller colleges and universities. We then removed 2-year community colleges, graduate schools, and especially schools from the list–as well as schools that don’t admit first-year freshman. We then selected the top 100 schools from our list based on “net price”–a figure which includes tuition, fees, room and board and other expenses students will need to cover.