The Best Value College In Each State
YOUniversityTV Devised An Algorithm Which Computed The Most Relevant Data To Determine The Best Value College.
As recently as a decade ago, there wasn’t really a question as to whether attending college was a sound investment or not. College graduates were twice as likely to be employed than those with who had graduated from high school with no college education.1 Similarly, the lifetime earning potential of a college graduate nearly doubled non-graduates.2 However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a study in 2013 which showed recent college graduates were unemployed at higher rates than those who had less than a high school education.3 Couple that with the over-inflated, rising cost of education and many are wondering if attending college is worth the cost.
Outspoken billionaires such as Shark Tank Investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban have been vocal about their opinion of the value, or lack thereof, of a college education.4
“What you thought you were going to get in quality of life by going to that college, you’ve just undermined with the amount of debt you’re taking on,” Cuban said.5
For most, it’s not just the published cost of the degree that needs to be considered. Equally important are the statistics of how long it takes a student to graduate. By way of example, at face value tuition of $10,000 per year sounds better than tuition of $15,000 per year. However, if the average student attending the school with $10,000 tuition takes seven years to graduate as opposed to four at the school with a tuition of $15,000, the numbers tell a different story. Even taking one semester longer to graduate can cost as much as an additional $25,000 at some schools. One might also argue that a degree from an Ivy League school or other highly selective, elite college might offset the cost of the investment. Not so, says Stacy Dale and Alan B. Krueger of Princeton University who conducted an in depth study concluding that variable was the ability of the student, not the name on the degree. Nonetheless, when you compute these factors with weight on cost, you’ll find an affordable education well worth the cost of tuition.
YOUniversityTV devised a ratio that computes the cost of education against the percent of students who were seeking a bachelors degree and completed within four years. A penalty was added proportionally to colleges that graduated less than between 1% and 80% of bachelors degree seeking students in four years. An additional penalty was added proportionally for admissions to offset the weight of higher admissions standards with acceptance rates between 1% and 70%. The data was taken from the National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Post-Secondary Education System.
Based on the results, following are the top three best value colleges by state.
| State | Institution Name | Cost* | Grad Rate 4 years | Acceptance Rate | Value Rating** |
| AK | Alaska Pacific University | $34,310.00 | 25% | 37.4% | 1580 |
| AL | The University of Alabama | $15,620.00 | 43% | 56.5% | 469 |
| AL | Auburn University | $13,730.00 | 38% | 82.7% | 511 |
| AL | University of West Alabama | $11,902.00 | 20% | 99.6% | 595 |
| AR | Harding University | $20,270.00 | 40% | 76.3% | 507 |
| AR | University of Arkansas | $13,170.00 | 37% | 58.6% | 512 |
| AR | John Brown University | $26,384.00 | 55% | 69.8% | 565 |
| AZ | University of Arizona | $16,335.00 | 40% | 76.9% | 408 |
| AZ | Northern Arizona University | $13,892.00 | 30% | 91.4% | 463 |
| AZ | Arizona State University-Tempe | $15,287.00 | 38% | 80.2% | 552 |
| CA | University of California-Berkeley | $24,091.00 | 72% | 18.0% | 344 |
| CA | University of California-Los Angeles | $23,750.00 | 69% | 22.0% | 422 |
| CA | University of California-Irvine | $24,078.00 | 68% | 42.4% | 431 |
| CO | University of Colorado Boulder | $16,485.00 | 44% | 87.7% | 475 |
| CO | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | $12,427.00 | 37% | 77.4% | 486 |
| CO | Colorado College | $46,488.00 | 79% | 22.3% | 596 |
| CO | Colorado School of Mines | $20,485.00 | 41% | 37.4% | 608 |
| CT | University of Connecticut | $15,472.00 | 68% | 53.7% | 304 |
| CT | Yale University | $45,800.00 | 90% | 7.1% | 509 |
| CT | University of Connecticut-Stamford | $13,516.00 | 34% | 41.1% | 555 |
| CT | Wesleyan University | $48,272.00 | 86% | 20.9% | 569 |
| DC | Georgetown University | $46,744.00 | 88% | 17.0% | 540 |
| DC | American University | $43,328.00 | 76% | 43.1% | 577 |
| DC | Howard University | $23,970.00 | 40% | 49.3% | 606 |
| DE | University of Delaware | $14,412.00 | 68% | 64.7% | 287 |
| DE | Goldey-Beacom College | $28,721.00 | 30% | 52.3% | 963 |
| DE | Delaware State University | $14,200.00 | 18% | 41.7% | 1046 |
| FL | University of Florida | $9,583.00 | 65% | 46.5% | 224 |
| FL | New College of Florida | $11,266.00 | 57% | 60.6% | 283 |
| FL | Florida State University | $11,631.00 | 57% | 56.8% | 290 |
| GA | University of Georgia | $13,742.00 | 57% | 56.1% | 327 |
| GA | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | $13,570.00 | 41% | 54.9% | 437 |
| GA | Wesleyan College | $23,725.00 | 58% | 43.4% | 496 |
| HI | Brigham Young University-Hawaii | $10,526.00 | 28% | 36.0% | 584 |
| HI | University of Hawaii at Manoa | $12,544.00 | 19% | 80.1% | 910 |
| HI | Chaminade University of Honolulu | $23,879.00 | 27% | 83.6% | 1084 |
| IA | University of Iowa | $11,875.00 | 48% | 80.2% | 347 |
| IA | Iowa State University | $11,199.00 | 38% | 82.5% | 445 |
| IA | University of Northern Iowa | $12,060.00 | 37% | 83.3% | 476 |
| ID | Brigham Young University-Idaho | $6,468.00 | 22% | 99.6% | 494 |
| ID | The College of Idaho | $26,955.00 | 54% | 90.5% | 579 |
| ID | University of Idaho | $11,712.00 | 25% | 65.6% | 673 |
| IL | Moody Bible Institute | $17,896.00 | 65% | 68.6% | 350 |
| IL | Robert Morris University Illinois | $26,469.00 | 76% | 21.0% | 356 |
| IL | Illinois State University | $15,407.00 | 46% | 68.9% | 440 |
| IN | Indiana University-Bloomington | $15,695.00 | 58% | 72.2% | 351 |
| IN | Purdue University-Main Campus | $14,312.00 | 42% | 60.4% | 446 |
| IN | University of Notre Dame | $47,605.00 | 90% | 22.3% | 537 |
| KS | Emporia State University | $9,974.00 | 20% | 60.7% | 504 |
| KS | University of Kansas | $14,575.00 | 36% | 92.3% | 555 |
| KS | Fort Hays State University | $7,280.00 | 19% | 89.2% | 633 |
| KY | Centre College | $38,320.00 | 80% | 68.6% | 484 |
| KY | University of Kentucky | $13,404.00 | 34% | 68.6% | 549 |
| KY | Murray State University | $11,162.00 | 29% | 82.2% | 585 |
| LA | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | $13,001.00 | 38% | 76.2% | 492 |
| LA | Louisiana Tech University | $12,801.00 | 29% | 67.4% | 646 |
| LA | Northwestern State University of Louisiana | $11,033.00 | 19% | 84.0% | 831 |
| MA | Massachusetts Maritime Academy | $9,927.00 | 49% | 77.3% | 303 |
| MA | Westfield State University | $12,456.00 | 44% | 74.9% | 383 |
| MA | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | $17,843.00 | 59% | 62.9% | 387 |
| MA | Becker College | $35,460.00 | 16% | 62.6% | 2471 |
| MD | United States Naval Academy | 88% | 7.4% | ||
| MD | St Mary’s College of Maryland | $18,264.00 | 71% | 72.0% | 257 |
| MD | University of Maryland-College Park | $14,116.00 | 66% | 47.0% | 291 |
| MD | Towson University | $12,454.00 | 40% | 60.3% | 316 |
| MD | Salisbury University | $12,128.00 | 47% | 54.9% | 364 |
| ME | Maine Maritime Academy | $14,550.00 | 53% | 65.4% | 360 |
| ME | University of Maine at Fort Kent | $10,575.00 | 36% | 62.9% | 449 |
| ME | University of Maine at Farmington | $12,751.00 | 38% | 83.7% | 486 |
| MI | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $18,384.00 | 76% | 33.3% | 250 |
| MI | Michigan State University | $15,792.00 | 50% | 68.6% | 321 |
| MI | Hope College | $31,660.00 | 68% | 72.5% | 536 |
| MN | University of Minnesota-Morris | $15,724.00 | 50% | 57.6% | 320 |
| MN | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $16,749.00 | 54% | 44.4% | 397 |
| MN | Martin Luther College | $16,700.00 | 52% | 96.2% | 401 |
| MO | University of Missouri-Columbia | $9,433.00 | 47% | 78.6% | 301 |
| MO | Truman State University | $12,168.00 | 54% | 72.2% | 305 |
| MO | University of Central Missouri | $10,665.00 | 30% | 80.8% | 356 |
| MS | University of Mississippi | $12,878.00 | 36% | 59.4% | 514 |
| MS | Blue Mountain College | $13,470.00 | 37% | 55.7% | 520 |
| MS | William Carey University | $19,910.00 | 46% | 48.8% | 540 |
| MT | Montana Tech of the University of Montana | $9,724.00 | 20% | 88.9% | 486 |
| MT | Montana State University | $11,232.00 | 20% | 84.5% | 562 |
| MT | The University of Montana | $11,481.00 | 24% | 94.2% | 678 |
| NC | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $14,016.00 | 81% | 27.6% | 181 |
| NC | University of North Carolina School of the Arts | $12,433.00 | 57% | 45.2% | 305 |
| NC | University of North Carolina Wilmington | $11,977.00 | 52% | 54.2% | 316 |
| ND | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | $12,556.00 | 26% | 84.1% | 683 |
| ND | Valley City State University | $11,216.00 | 23% | 82.9% | 688 |
| ND | University of North Dakota | $14,762.00 | 24% | 73.7% | 815 |
| NE | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | $12,714.00 | 32% | 64.0% | 552 |
| NE | Creighton University | $36,180.00 | 67% | 76.6% | 610 |
| NE | Doane College-Crete | $27,200.00 | 51% | 71.7% | 613 |
| NH | Keene State College | $12,864.00 | 52% | 81.9% | 327 |
| NH | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | $21,600.00 | 64% | 77.8% | 408 |
| NH | Plymouth State University | $17,387.00 | 41% | 77.5% | 524 |
| NJ | The College of New Jersey | $20,600.00 | 72% | 43.1% | 293 |
| NJ | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | $17,084.00 | 57% | 59.5% | 386 |
| NJ | Ramapo College of New Jersey | $20,183.00 | 59% | 55.3% | 428 |
| NM | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | $9,870.00 | 19% | 41.4% | 776 |
| NM | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | $10,520.00 | 16% | 85.2% | 908 |
| NV | University of Nevada-Reno | $13,366.00 | 16% | 84.0% | 1085 |
| NV | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | $14,437.00 | 15% | 85.1% | 1212 |
| NV | Nevada State College | $9,812.00 | 3% | 50.4% | 3577 |
| NY | United States Military Academy | 80% | 9.0% | ||
| NY | SUNY at Binghamton | $11,339.00 | 69% | 42.9% | 241 |
| NY | SUNY College at Geneseo | $10,930.00 | 66% | 45.7% | 243 |
| NY | SUNY College at Oswego | $9,681.00 | 40% | 48.6% | 249 |
| OH | Ohio State University-Main Campus | $15,723.00 | 59% | 55.5% | 352 |
| OH | Miami University-Oxford | $21,061.00 | 68% | 66.8% | 385 |
| OH | Ohio University-Main Campus | $17,404.00 | 48% | 73.0% | 463 |
| OK | University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma | $7,796.00 | 27% | 62.5% | 494 |
| OK | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | $13,312.00 | 33% | 76.0% | 553 |
| OK | Oklahoma Wesleyan University | $27,616.00 | 50% | 49.3% | 559 |
| OK | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | $14,723.00 | 35% | 80.4% | 571 |
| OR | University of Oregon | $13,243.00 | 44% | 74.2% | 401 |
| OR | Oregon State University | $12,864.00 | 30% | 78.9% | 429 |
| OR | University of Portland | $41,290.00 | 70% | 66.8% | 595 |
| PA | Grove City College | $16,730.00 | 77% | 80.6% | 217 |
| PA | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | $14,768.00 | 40% | 67.0% | 374 |
| PA | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | $21,246.00 | 64% | 56.1% | 408 |
| RI | Bryant University | $41,734.00 | 78% | 76.6% | 535 |
| RI | Brown University | $47,434.00 | 84% | 9.2% | 565 |
| RI | Providence College | $50,030.00 | 83% | 59.8% | 609 |
| SC | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | 62% | 80.4% | 50 | |
| SC | University of South Carolina-Columbia | $15,895.00 | 54% | 60.6% | 379 |
| SC | College of Charleston | $15,830.00 | 52% | 70.3% | 384 |
| SC | Clemson University | $20,360.00 | 59% | 57.9% | 431 |
| SD | University of South Dakota | $12,929.00 | 30% | 87.9% | 431 |
| SD | Dakota State University | $12,592.00 | 20% | 83.0% | 630 |
| SD | South Dakota State University | $13,018.00 | 27% | 91.9% | 682 |
| TN | Johnson University | $17,052.00 | 44% | 54.6% | 494 |
| TN | Sewanee-The University of the South | $37,756.00 | 76% | 60.3% | 502 |
| TN | Vanderbilt University | $43,838.00 | 87% | 12.7% | 513 |
| TX | Texas A & M University-College Station | $12,601.00 | 49% | 69.5% | 362 |
| TX | The University of Texas at Austin | $14,794.00 | 51% | 40.2% | 377 |
| TX | The University of Texas at Dallas | $16,204.00 | 46% | 58.6% | 458 |
| UT | Brigham Young University-Provo | $9,528.00 | 31% | 49.4% | 464 |
| UT | Utah State University | $9,180.00 | 25% | 96.7% | 567 |
| UT | Southern Utah University | $12,324.00 | 22% | 57.1% | 766 |
| VA | University of Virginia-Main Campus | $15,988.00 | 86% | 30.0% | 194 |
| VA | College of William and Mary | $19,013.00 | 83% | 33.2% | 237 |
| VA | University of Mary Washington | $13,528.00 | 66% | 81% | 285 |
| VT | University of Vermont | $18,884.00 | 65% | 77.6% | 361 |
| VT | Middlebury College | $46,044.00 | 87% | 17.2% | 538 |
| VT | Castleton State College | $16,426.00 | 34% | 92.0% | 633 |
| WA | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | $16,282.00 | 57% | 55.2% | 372 |
| WA | Trinity Lutheran College | $29,642.00 | 79% | 95.7% | 375 |
| WA | Central Washington University | $12,990.00 | 43% | 82.2% | 402 |
| WI | University of Wisconsin-Madison | $14,818.00 | 55% | 67.9% | 354 |
| WI | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse | $12,043.00 | 35% | 72.0% | 494 |
| WI | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | $10,968.00 | 20% | 84.8% | 548 |
| WI | Ripon College | $33,954.00 | 60% | 75.2% | 566 |
| WI | Saint Norbert College | $35,088.00 | 69% | 81.9% | 579 |
| WI | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater | $11,178.00 | 28% | 84.7% | 599 |
| WV | West Virginia University | $10,382.00 | 34% | 85.1% | 455 |
| WV | West Liberty University | $11,646.00 | 22% | 71.2% | 729 |
| WV | Marshall University | $13,410.00 | 23% | 78.7% | 783 |
| WY | University of Wyoming | $7,149.00 | 24% | 95.7% | 498 |
*Total price for in-state students living off campus (with family) 2013-14 (DRVIC2013)
** The lower the number, the better the value
Top Ten Best Value Colleges Overall
| State | Institution Name | Cost* | Grad Rate 4 years | Acceptance Rate | Value Rating** |
| NC | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $14,016.00 | 81% | 27.6% | 181 |
| VA | University of Virginia-Main Campus | $15,988.00 | 86% | 30.0% | 194 |
| PA | Grove City College | $16,730.00 | 77% | 80.6% | 217 |
| FL | University of Florida | $9,583.00 | 65% | 46.5% | 224 |
| VA | College of William and Mary | $19,013.00 | 83% | 33.2% | 237 |
| NY | SUNY at Binghamton | $11,339.00 | 69% | 42.9% | 241 |
| NY | SUNY College at Geneseo | $10,930.00 | 66% | 45.7% | 243 |
| NY | SUNY College at Oswego | $9,681.00 | 40% | 48.6% | 249 |
| MI | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $18,384.00 | 76% | 33.3% | 250 |
| NY | SUNY College at Purchase | $12,431.00 | 50% | 32 | 257 |
States that fared the best: (Have 3 or more schools in the top 100)
- New York
- Virginia
- Pennsylvania
- North Carolina
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Missouri
- Massachusetts
- California
- Illinois
For the complete list of all schools, or to compare how one school ranks against others nationally, click here.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics – 2013
- http://www.55by25.org/progress/
- Monthly Labor Review – February 2013
- http://blogmaverick.com/2013/01/26/will-your-college-go-out-of-business-before-you-graduate/
- http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-sweet-briar-college-college-debt-bubble-crisis-2015-3
- Stacy Dale and Alan B. Krueger NBER Working Paper No. 17159 June 2011
Originally posted by YOUniversityTV (view original article)