Best value colleges in every state
When it comes to higher education, definitions of what constitutes a valuable collegiate experience and reasons for enrolling are as varied as the people providing the answers. For some, it's tied to affordability and measured in terms of how many scholarships and grants are available to offset the overall cost. For others, value is measured by the quality of the education and is determined by factors such as class sizes, faculty qualifications, and access to research opportunities. While others still measure value by post-grad career outcomes, prioritizing alumni networks, internship placements, career services, and the potential for social mobility.
A tuition-to-salary comparison is generally not sufficient in assessing the value a school offers. It's essential to consider both the immediate financial costs and benefits, as well as the quality of life and campus culture that it can offer its students. In an age where student debt is skyrocketing, reaching $1.814 trillion in 2024, many students in the U.S. are anxious about whether their degree will be worthwhile in the long run. The average debt carried by one of the 45 million student-loan borrowers after graduation is around $42,673. As the student debt crisis grows alongside the staggering rise of college tuition, a school's overall value matters: namely, where scholarly investments will pay off with less debt to start and a higher-paying career within reach after graduation.
Stacker used Niche's 2026 list of the Best Value Colleges in America to report the best value college in every U.S. state. Community colleges and online colleges were not included. The methodology included student surveys, cost, post-graduate financial earnings, and a handful of other factors that capture a school's well-rounded value. (You can read the full methodology here.)
While some colleges may lure students in with a vibrant campus life or famous professors, these details are generally not indicators of a school's value to a student's lifelong career prospects.
Read on to see if your alma mater is the best value college in its state.
Alabama: University of Alabama - Birmingham
- Location: Birmingham, AL
- Niche value grade: B+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 9,841
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 4:1
- Acceptance rate: 88%
- Typical SAT range: 1130-1400
- Athletic conference: American Athletic Conference (The American)
Alaska: University of Alaska Anchorage
- Location: Anchorage, AK
- Niche value grade: B-
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 4,211
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1
- Acceptance rate: 67%
- Typical SAT range: not available
- Athletic conference: Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Arizona: Arizona State University
- Location: Tempe, AZ
- Niche value grade: B+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 59,707
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1
- Acceptance rate: 90%
- Typical SAT range: 1100-1320
- Athletic conference: Big 12 Conference (Big 12)
Arkansas: University of the Ozarks
- Location: Clarksville, AR
- Niche value grade: B+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 786
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 14:1
- Acceptance rate: 58%
- Typical SAT range: 1020-1160
- Athletic conference: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
California: California Institute of Technology
- Location: Pasadena, CA
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 982
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 3:1
- Acceptance rate: 3%
- Typical SAT range: 1530-1580
- Athletic conference: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Colorado: Colorado School of Mines
- Location: Golden, CO
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 5,924
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1
- Acceptance rate: 60%
- Typical SAT range: 1320-1470
- Athletic conference: Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Connecticut: Yale University
- Location: New Haven, CT
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 6,805
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 2:1
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580
- Athletic conference: Ivy League
Delaware: University of Delaware
- Location: Newark, DE
- Niche value grade: B+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 18,084
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1
- Acceptance rate: 65%
- Typical SAT range: 1200-1360
- Athletic conference: Coastal Athletic Association (CAA)
Florida: University of Florida
- Location: Gainesville, FL
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 31,571
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 24%
- Typical SAT range: 1300-1480
- Athletic conference: Southeastern Conference (SEC)
Georgia: Georgia Institute of Technology
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 17,171
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 13:1
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Typical SAT range: 1330-1530
- Athletic conference: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
Hawaii: University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Location: Honolulu, HI
- Niche value grade: B
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 12,068
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 70%
- Typical SAT range: 1020-1240
- Athletic conference: Big West Conference (Big West)
Idaho: Lewis-Clark State College
- Location: Lewiston, ID
- Niche value grade: B+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 2,021
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1
- Acceptance rate: 90%
- Typical SAT range: 850-1110
- Athletic conference: Cascade Collegiate Conference
Illinois: Northwestern University
- Location: Evanston, IL
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 9,020
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 4:1
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Typical SAT range: 1490-1560
- Athletic conference: Big Ten Conference (Big Ten)
Indiana: University of Notre Dame
- Location: Notre Dame, IN
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 8,866
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Typical SAT range: 1440-1540
- Athletic conference: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
Iowa: Iowa State University
- Location: Ames, IA
- Niche value grade: A-
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 25,628
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 17:1
- Acceptance rate: 89%
- Typical SAT range: 1110-1350
- Athletic conference: Big 12 Conference (Big 12)
Kansas: Friends University
- Location: Wichita, KS
- Niche value grade: A-
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 964
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1
- Acceptance rate: 56%
- Typical SAT range: 920-1090
- Athletic conference: Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Kentucky: Berea College
- Location: Berea, KY
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 1,471
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 33%
- Typical SAT range: 1160-1340
- Athletic conference: USA South Athletic Conference
Louisiana: Nicholls State University
- Location: Thibodaux, LA
- Niche value grade: B+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 4,282
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 18:1
- Acceptance rate: 96%
- Typical SAT range: 930-1150
- Athletic conference: Southland Conference (Southland)
Maine: Bowdoin College
- Location: Brunswick, ME
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 1,873
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1550
- Athletic conference: New England Small College Athletic Conference
Maryland: Johns Hopkins University
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 5,607
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 1:1
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Typical SAT range: 1530-1580
- Athletic conference: Centennial Conference
Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 4,543
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 3:1
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1580
- Athletic conference: New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference
Michigan: Michigan Technological University
- Location: Houghton, MI
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 5,765
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 14:1
- Acceptance rate: 88%
- Typical SAT range: 1120-1330
- Athletic conference: Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Minnesota: University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- Location: Minneapolis, MN
- Niche value grade: A-
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 29,124
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 77%
- Typical SAT range: 1310-1480
- Athletic conference: Big Ten Conference (Big Ten)
Mississippi: Mississippi University for Women
- Location: Columbus, MS
- Niche value grade: B+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 1,460
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Typical SAT range: 850-1180
- Athletic conference: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Missouri: Washington University in St. Louis
- Location: Saint Louis, MO
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 7,534
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 4:1
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570
- Athletic conference: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
Montana: Montana Technological University
- Location: Butte, MT
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 1,631
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 13:1
- Acceptance rate: 90%
- Typical SAT range: 1060-1250
- Athletic conference: Frontier Conference
Nebraska: College of Saint Mary
- Location: Omaha, NE
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 502
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 5:1
- Acceptance rate: 44%
- Typical SAT range: not available
- Athletic conference: Great Plains Athletic Conference
Nevada: Nevada State University
- Location: Henderson, NV
- Niche value grade: A-
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 2,252
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1
- Acceptance rate: 86%
- Typical SAT range: not available
- Athletic conference: Independant
New Hampshire: Dartmouth College
- Location: Hanover, NH
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 4,419
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 5:1
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570
- Athletic conference: Ivy League
New Jersey: Princeton University
- Location: Princeton, NJ
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 5,598
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 5:1
- Acceptance rate: 4%
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580
- Athletic conference: Ivy League
New Mexico: New Mexico Tech
- Location: Socorro, NM
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 1,065
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 54%
- Typical SAT range: 1040-1290
- Athletic conference: Club sports
New York: CUNY Baruch College
- Location: New York, NY
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 12,947
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 19:1
- Acceptance rate: 50%
- Typical SAT range: 1210-1410
- Athletic conference: City University of New York Athletic Conference
North Carolina: Duke University
- Location: Durham, NC
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 6,474
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 1:1
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1570
- Athletic conference: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
North Dakota: North Dakota State University
- Location: Fargo, ND
- Niche value grade: B+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 8,797
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 17:1
- Acceptance rate: 96%
- Typical SAT range: 1030-1260
- Athletic conference: Summit League (The Summit)
Ohio: Marietta College
- Location: Marietta , OH
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 1,019
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 79%
- Typical SAT range: 990-1300
- Athletic conference: Ohio Athletic Conference
Oklahoma: The University of Tulsa
- Location: Tulsa, OK
- Niche value grade: A-
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 2,288
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 58%
- Typical SAT range: 1150-1490
- Athletic conference: American Athletic Conference (The American)
Oregon: Linfield University
- Location: Mcminnville, OR
- Niche value grade: A-
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 1,642
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1
- Acceptance rate: 88%
- Typical SAT range: 1050-1210
- Athletic conference: Northwest Conference
Pennsylvania: Carnegie Mellon University
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 7,133
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 5:1
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570
- Athletic conference: University Athletic Association
Rhode Island: Brown University
- Location: Providence, RI
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 7,220
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570
- Athletic conference: Ivy League
South Carolina: The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
- Location: Charleston, SC
- Niche value grade: A-
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 2,476
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 98%
- Typical SAT range: 1080-1250
- Athletic conference: Southern Conference (SoCon)
South Dakota: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- Location: Rapid City, SD
- Niche value grade: A-
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 1,737
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1
- Acceptance rate: 85%
- Typical SAT range: 1130-1320
- Athletic conference: Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Tennessee: Vanderbilt University
- Location: Nashville, TN
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 7,146
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 5:1
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1560
- Athletic conference: Southeastern Conference (SEC)
Texas: Rice University
- Location: Houston, TX
- Niche value grade: A+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 4,483
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 5:1
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570
- Athletic conference: American Athletic Conference (The American)
Utah: Brigham Young University
- Location: Provo, UT
- Niche value grade: A-
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 29,261
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 20:1
- Acceptance rate: 69%
- Typical SAT range: 1290-1450
- Athletic conference: Big 12 Conference (Big 12)
Vermont: Middlebury College
- Location: Middlebury, VT
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 2,778
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Typical SAT range: 1430-1550
- Athletic conference: New England Small College Athletic Conference
Virginia: Washington & Lee University
- Location: Lexington, VA
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 1,887
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 7:1
- Acceptance rate: 17%
- Typical SAT range: 1410-1530
- Athletic conference: Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Washington: University of Washington
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 29,863
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 6:1
- Acceptance rate: 43%
- Typical SAT range: not available
- Athletic conference: Big Ten Conference (Big Ten)
West Virginia: Marshall University
- Location: Huntington, WV
- Niche value grade: B+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 6,576
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 96%
- Typical SAT range: 890-1130
- Athletic conference: Sun Belt Conference (SBC)
Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Location: Madison, WI
- Niche value grade: A
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 34,278
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 8:1
- Acceptance rate: 43%
- Typical SAT range: 1360-1510
- Athletic conference: Big Ten Conference (Big Ten)
Wyoming: University of Wyoming
- Location: Laramie, WY
- Niche value grade: B+
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment: 6,851
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
- Acceptance rate: 98%
- Typical SAT range: 1040-1240
- Athletic conference: Mountain West Conference (MW)
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This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 4:00 AM.