Best Value Public Universities
Top 50 public universities ranked by value score. State schools often deliver excellent ROI thanks to lower tuition — here are the ones that truly pay off.
#1
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA·public
Earnings
$90,768
Net Price
$16,665/yr
Grad Rate
86%
100
Value
#2
California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA·public
Earnings
$59,009
Net Price
$5,652/yr
Grad Rate
50%
100
Value
#3
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA·public
Earnings
$63,188
Net Price
$6,067/yr
Grad Rate
56%
100
Value
#4
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA·public
Earnings
$59,977
Net Price
$4,564/yr
Grad Rate
55%
100
Value
#5
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA·public
Earnings
$71,902
Net Price
$11,531/yr
Grad Rate
68%
100
Value
#6
California State University-Fresno
Fresno, CA·public
Earnings
$61,244
Net Price
$7,000/yr
Grad Rate
56%
100
Value
#7
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA·public
Earnings
$62,951
Net Price
$6,555/yr
Grad Rate
70%
100
Value
#8
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, CA·public
Earnings
$64,403
Net Price
$10,440/yr
Grad Rate
69%
100
Value
#9
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA·public
Earnings
$59,211
Net Price
$3,967/yr
Grad Rate
53%
100
Value
#10
California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA·public
Earnings
$59,115
Net Price
$7,021/yr
Grad Rate
57%
100
Value
#11
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA·public
Earnings
$92,446
Net Price
$13,481/yr
Grad Rate
93%
100
Value
#12
University of California-Davis
Davis, CA·public
Earnings
$80,838
Net Price
$14,741/yr
Grad Rate
85%
100
Value
#13
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, CA·public
Earnings
$80,735
Net Price
$14,251/yr
Grad Rate
86%
100
Value
#14
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA·public
Earnings
$82,511
Net Price
$12,548/yr
Grad Rate
93%
100
Value
#15
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, CA·public
Earnings
$84,943
Net Price
$12,470/yr
Grad Rate
87%
100
Value
#16
Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, CA·public
Earnings
$57,072
Net Price
$7,653/yr
Grad Rate
58%
100
Value
#17
Modesto Junior College
Modesto, CA·public
Earnings
$42,368
Net Price
$2,818/yr
Grad Rate
28%
100
Value
#18
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA·public
Earnings
$43,552
Net Price
$3,133/yr
Grad Rate
31%
100
Value
#19
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, CA·public
Earnings
$42,193
Net Price
$2,779/yr
Grad Rate
36%
100
Value
#20
Skyline College
San Bruno, CA·public
Earnings
$55,702
Net Price
$1,738/yr
Grad Rate
43%
100
Value
#21
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL·public
Earnings
$58,308
Net Price
$10,411/yr
Grad Rate
77%
100
Value
#22
Chipola College
Marianna, FL·public
Earnings
$37,378
Net Price
$1,133/yr
Grad Rate
57%
100
Value
#23
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL·public
Earnings
$56,746
Net Price
$8,752/yr
Grad Rate
63%
100
Value
#24
Florida International University
Miami, FL·public
Earnings
$60,249
Net Price
$9,288/yr
Grad Rate
74%
100
Value
#25
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL·public
Earnings
$61,675
Net Price
$11,297/yr
Grad Rate
84%
100
Value
#26
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL·public
Earnings
$71,588
Net Price
$6,541/yr
Grad Rate
91%
100
Value
#27
Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL·public
Earnings
$38,315
Net Price
$3,815/yr
Grad Rate
44%
100
Value
#28
North Florida College
Madison, FL·public
Earnings
$33,929
Net Price
$804/yr
Grad Rate
61%
100
Value
#29
St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL·public
Earnings
$42,557
Net Price
$1,471/yr
Grad Rate
38%
100
Value
#30
South Florida State College
Avon Park, FL·public
Earnings
$39,990
Net Price
$3,877/yr
Grad Rate
49%
100
Value
#31
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL·public
Earnings
$57,743
Net Price
$9,812/yr
Grad Rate
76%
100
Value
#32
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA·public
Earnings
$102,772
Net Price
$12,116/yr
Grad Rate
93%
100
Value
#33
University of Georgia
Athens, GA·public
Earnings
$68,726
Net Price
$13,936/yr
Grad Rate
89%
100
Value
#34
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL·public
Earnings
$81,054
Net Price
$14,355/yr
Grad Rate
85%
100
Value
#35
Indiana University-Kokomo
Kokomo, IN·public
Earnings
$49,917
Net Price
$3,968/yr
Grad Rate
45%
100
Value
#36
University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD·public
Earnings
$82,860
Net Price
$15,678/yr
Grad Rate
89%
100
Value
#37
Alpena Community College
Alpena, MI·public
Earnings
$36,442
Net Price
$3,320/yr
Grad Rate
51%
100
Value
#38
Henry Ford College
Dearborn, MI·public
Earnings
$34,795
Net Price
$660/yr
Grad Rate
14%
100
Value
#39
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI·public
Earnings
$83,648
Net Price
$13,138/yr
Grad Rate
93%
100
Value
#40
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM·public
Earnings
$76,489
Net Price
$9,873/yr
Grad Rate
57%
100
Value
#41
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY·public
Earnings
$75,971
Net Price
$3,033/yr
Grad Rate
72%
100
Value
#42
CUNY Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY·public
Earnings
$60,752
Net Price
$3,103/yr
Grad Rate
55%
100
Value
#43
CUNY City College
New York, NY·public
Earnings
$66,039
Net Price
$3,776/yr
Grad Rate
56%
100
Value
#44
CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY·public
Earnings
$63,163
Net Price
$2,984/yr
Grad Rate
59%
100
Value
#45
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, NY·public
Earnings
$56,195
Net Price
$3,203/yr
Grad Rate
56%
100
Value
#46
CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY·public
Earnings
$58,013
Net Price
$3,148/yr
Grad Rate
50%
100
Value
#47
CUNY Queens College
Queens, NY·public
Earnings
$62,763
Net Price
$4,195/yr
Grad Rate
56%
100
Value
#48
CUNY York College
Jamaica, NY·public
Earnings
$56,945
Net Price
$4,456/yr
Grad Rate
31%
100
Value
#49
United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, NY·public
Earnings
$90,610
Net Price
$6,174/yr
Grad Rate
81%
100
Value
#50
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC·public
Earnings
$72,200
Net Price
$11,655/yr
Grad Rate
92%
100
Value