Best Colleges Under $20,000/Year
Colleges where the average student pays less than $20,000/year after financial aid, ranked by value. Proof that you don't need to spend big to earn big.
#1
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA·private
Earnings
$128,566
Net Price
$16,075/yr
Grad Rate
94%
100
Value
#2
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
#3
California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA·public
Earnings
$59,009
Net Price
$5,652/yr
Grad Rate
50%
100
Value
#4
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA·public
Earnings
$63,188
Net Price
$6,067/yr
Grad Rate
56%
100
Value
#5
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA·public
Earnings
$59,977
Net Price
$4,564/yr
Grad Rate
55%
100
Value
#6
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA·public
Earnings
$71,902
Net Price
$11,531/yr
Grad Rate
68%
100
Value
#7
California State University-Fresno
Fresno, CA·public
Earnings
$61,244
Net Price
$7,000/yr
Grad Rate
56%
100
Value
#8
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA·public
Earnings
$62,951
Net Price
$6,555/yr
Grad Rate
70%
100
Value
#9
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, CA·public
Earnings
$64,403
Net Price
$10,440/yr
Grad Rate
69%
100
Value
#10
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA·public
Earnings
$59,211
Net Price
$3,967/yr
Grad Rate
53%
100
Value
#11
California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA·public
Earnings
$59,115
Net Price
$7,021/yr
Grad Rate
57%
100
Value
#12
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA·public
Earnings
$92,446
Net Price
$13,481/yr
Grad Rate
93%
100
Value
#13
University of California-Davis
Davis, CA·public
Earnings
$80,838
Net Price
$14,741/yr
Grad Rate
85%
100
Value
#14
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, CA·public
Earnings
$80,735
Net Price
$14,251/yr
Grad Rate
86%
100
Value
#15
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA·public
Earnings
$82,511
Net Price
$12,548/yr
Grad Rate
93%
100
Value
#16
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, CA·public
Earnings
$84,943
Net Price
$12,470/yr
Grad Rate
87%
100
Value
#17
San Diego Christian College
Santee, CA·private
Earnings
$49,766
Net Price
$992/yr
Grad Rate
21%
100
Value
#18
Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, CA·public
Earnings
$57,072
Net Price
$7,653/yr
Grad Rate
58%
100
Value
#19
Humphreys University
Stockton, CA·private
Earnings
$39,248
Net Price
$5,524/yr
Grad Rate
67%
100
Value
#20
Modesto Junior College
Modesto, CA·public
Earnings
$42,368
Net Price
$2,818/yr
Grad Rate
28%
100
Value
#21
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA·public
Earnings
$43,552
Net Price
$3,133/yr
Grad Rate
31%
100
Value
#22
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, CA·public
Earnings
$42,193
Net Price
$2,779/yr
Grad Rate
36%
100
Value
#23
Skyline College
San Bruno, CA·public
Earnings
$55,702
Net Price
$1,738/yr
Grad Rate
43%
100
Value
#24
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL·public
Earnings
$58,308
Net Price
$10,411/yr
Grad Rate
77%
100
Value
#25
Chipola College
Marianna, FL·public
Earnings
$37,378
Net Price
$1,133/yr
Grad Rate
57%
100
Value
#26
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL·public
Earnings
$56,746
Net Price
$8,752/yr
Grad Rate
63%
100
Value
#27
Florida International University
Miami, FL·public
Earnings
$60,249
Net Price
$9,288/yr
Grad Rate
74%
100
Value
#28
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL·public
Earnings
$61,675
Net Price
$11,297/yr
Grad Rate
84%
100
Value
#29
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL·public
Earnings
$71,588
Net Price
$6,541/yr
Grad Rate
91%
100
Value
#30
Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL·public
Earnings
$38,315
Net Price
$3,815/yr
Grad Rate
44%
100
Value
#31
North Florida College
Madison, FL·public
Earnings
$33,929
Net Price
$804/yr
Grad Rate
61%
100
Value
#32
St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL·public
Earnings
$42,557
Net Price
$1,471/yr
Grad Rate
38%
100
Value
#33
South Florida State College
Avon Park, FL·public
Earnings
$39,990
Net Price
$3,877/yr
Grad Rate
49%
100
Value
#34
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL·public
Earnings
$57,743
Net Price
$9,812/yr
Grad Rate
76%
100
Value
#35
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA·public
Earnings
$102,772
Net Price
$12,116/yr
Grad Rate
93%
100
Value
#36
University of Georgia
Athens, GA·public
Earnings
$68,726
Net Price
$13,936/yr
Grad Rate
89%
100
Value
#37
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL·private
Earnings
$91,885
Net Price
$14,860/yr
Grad Rate
95%
100
Value
#38
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL·public
Earnings
$81,054
Net Price
$14,355/yr
Grad Rate
85%
100
Value
#39
Trinity International University-Illinois
Deerfield, IL·private
Earnings
$46,989
Net Price
$2,835/yr
Grad Rate
46%
100
Value
#40
Indiana University-Kokomo
Kokomo, IN·public
Earnings
$49,917
Net Price
$3,968/yr
Grad Rate
45%
100
Value
#41
Berea College
Berea, KY·private
Earnings
$43,150
Net Price
$6,106/yr
Grad Rate
60%
100
Value
#42
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME·private
Earnings
$82,735
Net Price
$14,398/yr
Grad Rate
95%
100
Value
#43
Colby College
Waterville, ME·private
Earnings
$80,490
Net Price
$17,180/yr
Grad Rate
89%
100
Value
#44
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD·private
Earnings
$87,555
Net Price
$18,809/yr
Grad Rate
94%
100
Value
#45
University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD·public
Earnings
$82,860
Net Price
$15,678/yr
Grad Rate
89%
100
Value
#46
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA·private
Earnings
$101,817
Net Price
$19,066/yr
Grad Rate
97%
100
Value
#47
Williams College
Williamstown, MA·private
Earnings
$88,665
Net Price
$17,716/yr
Grad Rate
95%
100
Value
#48
Alpena Community College
Alpena, MI·public
Earnings
$36,442
Net Price
$3,320/yr
Grad Rate
51%
100
Value
#49
Henry Ford College
Dearborn, MI·public
Earnings
$34,795
Net Price
$660/yr
Grad Rate
14%
100
Value
#50
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI·public
Earnings
$83,648
Net Price
$13,138/yr
Grad Rate
93%
100
Value