Best Value Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025
Key Takeaways
- Best value colleges are not only affordable, but also demonstrate a clear return on investment.
- Colleges that deliver value will meet a high standard of academic quality, will be well regarded, will offer a robust array of quality degree programs, and will generally achieve positive educational and professional outcomes for undergraduate students and graduate students alike.
- Best value colleges are also those with strong financial aid and scholarship programs as well as good track records for graduating students with most student debt and excellent career prospects in a competitive job market.
Best Value Colleges and Universities in 2025
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Michigan
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Washington +2
- University of Wisconsin–Madison +6
- University of Virginia –2
- University of California, San Diego +1
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill –3
- Ohio State University +1
2025 Ranking Update
Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.
The top 4 schools in our 2025 ranking of the best value colleges and universities remain unchanged, while the University of Washington moved up 2 spots to the 5th position. But our big mover was the University of Wisconsin Madison, who jumped 6 spots to take our 6th position.
UC Berkeley has expanded its financial aid programs, with approximately 62% of students receiving some form of financial assistance, and 38% paying no out-of-pocket tuition costs due to grants and scholarships. The average gift aid awarded to undergraduates is $23,676, significantly reducing the financial burden on students.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison has announced a 3.75% tuition increase for the 2024–25 academic year, raising annual resident undergraduate tuition to $10,006 and non-resident tuition to $40,505. Additionally, the Wisconsin Tuition Promise will fund a new cohort of students starting in fall 2025, allowing those from families earning $55,000 or less annually to attend one of 11 UW campuses without paying tuition or fees.
In many cases, the best value university is likely to be a public institution in your state. That’s because public universities offer in-state tuition discounts.
Some of the best universities in the nation enjoy public university status and, can therefore, offer lower tuition rates to state residents. For a look at the most affordable colleges near you, check out our by-state guide to affordable colleges.
Featured Programs
What does best value colleges and universities mean?
The best value colleges and universities are those that offer a high quality education at an affordable price. While there are many schools that qualify as affordable colleges and many schools that perform well in the college rankings, value implies a combination of both factors. Best value colleges will not only be affordable, but will also demonstrate a clear return on investment.
Colleges and universities that deliver value will meet a high standard of academic quality, will be well regarded, will offer a robust array of quality degree programs, and will generally achieve positive educational and professional outcomes for undergraduate students and graduate students alike.
Best value colleges are also those with strong financial aid and scholarship programs as well as good track records for graduating students with most student debt and excellent career prospects in a competitive job market.
Prospective students looking for the best value out of a college education must target schools that prioritize both academic excellence and affordability.
How do we determine which colleges and universities provide the best value?
As mentioned above, the best value colleges and universities offer a combination of a high quality education at an affordable price. What makes a high quality education? The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. That is why we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call “Concentrated Influence”. Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers—faculty and alums—and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.
We then looked at public universities with the lowest tuition rates and the strongest financial aid and scholarship offerings. Those three factors, influence, tuition, and financial aid, are what determined our list of the best value colleges and universities.
Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, will score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.
If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence.
Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to the schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.
The 15 Best Value Colleges and Universities
- #1 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #1 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #1 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025 #2 50 Best Colleges and Universities Ranked for Undergrads in 2025
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
94%
Student body
48K
Career Outlook for degree at University of California, Berkeley
Cost of Degree: $14,850Expenses: $30,203Starting Salary: $79,000Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of California, Berkeley known for?
University of California, Berkeley’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Physics
- Earth Sciences
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Psychology
- Anthropology
- Engineering
- Communications
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of California, Berkeley?
University of California, Berkeley is the flagship campus in the University of California system. With fourteen colleges, undergraduate and graduate students can choose from more than 350 unique degree programs.
The University of California, Berkeley is also renowned for its state of the art research facilities. This means that Berkeley continues to draw highly influential professors in areas like science, math, and engineering.
- The University of California, Berkeley is great for students who:
Enjoy the experience of a sprawling campus with a large student body and a full spectrum of course offerings.
- The University of California, Berkeley might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer an intimate environment or small class sizes.
- #2 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #2 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #2 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025 #4 Top Schools that Offer Free Master's Degrees Online
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
18%
Graduation
93%
Student body
52K
Median SAT/ACT
1440/32
Career Outlook for degree at University of Michigan
Cost of Degree: $18,309Expenses: $17,554Starting Salary: $79,000Cost Recoup Time: 10 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Michigan known for?
University of Michigan’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Engineering
- Anthropology
- Computer Science
- Medical
- Education
- Mathematics
- History
- Social Work
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of Michigan?
University of Michigan was founded in 1817, which is actually about 20 years before the territory of Michigan became a state. Roughly half of the students at the University of Michigan are from the state of Michigan, which means they enjoy discounted in state tuition rates.
The University of Michigan draws students from all over the world. International students make up about 15% of the school’s population.
- The University of Michigan is great for students who:
Enjoy a vaunted athletics program and a large student body-roughly 32,000 undergrads and 16,000 grad students.
- The University of Michigan might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer a small campus. The Ann Arbor is divided into four distinct campus sections, all connected by bus service.
- #3 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #3 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #3 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025 #7 America's 15 Most Technologically Advanced Colleges
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
92%
Student body
49K
Career Outlook for degree at University of California, Los Angeles
Cost of Degree: $13,747Expenses: $24,284Starting Salary: $73,200Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of California, Los Angeles known for?
University of California, Los Angeles’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Nursing
- Earth Sciences
- Social Work
- History
- Chemistry
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Philosophy
- Mathematics
- Communications
Most Influential Alumni
- #4 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #4 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #4 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025 #18 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2025
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
31%
Graduation
88%
Student body
55K
Median SAT/ACT
1365/29
Career Outlook for degree at University of Texas at Austin
Cost of Degree: $11,678Expenses: $19,894Starting Salary: $73,900Cost Recoup Time: 9 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Texas at Austin known for?
University of Texas at Austin’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Communications
- Physics
- Law
- Literature
- History
- Earth Sciences
- Social Work
- Computer Science
- Philosophy
- Engineering
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of California, Los Angeles?
UCLA is often referred to as a “Public Ivy,” a state university that frequently ranks among the best universities in the world. In addition to producing 27 Nobel laureates, UCLA has contributed at least one gold medalist to every U.S. Olympics team since 1932.
With more than 168,000 undergraduate applicants for Fall 2021 semester, the University of California, Los Angeles was the most applied to university in the U.S. last year. Clearly, prospective students view UCLA as a desirable destination.
- The University of California, Los Angeles is great for students who:
Like the idea of living on a campus where Hollywood film crews are constantly working. Movies as diverse as Legally Blonde, Erin Brockovich, and National Lampoon’s Van Wilder have been filmed on the UCLA campus.
- The University of California, Los Angeles might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer affordable housing. UCLA is noteworthy for having beautiful, state of the art residential facilities, but you will pay for them.
- #1 15 Best Self-paced Online Colleges Ranked for 2025 #5 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #5 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #5 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
48%
Graduation
84%
Student body
58K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Washington
Cost of Degree: $12,643Expenses: $21,909Starting Salary: $69,600Cost Recoup Time: 10 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Washington known for?
University of Washington’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Earth Sciences
- Computer Science
- Social Work
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Medical
- Criminal Justice
- Physics
- Psychology
- Engineering
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of Washington?
The University of Washington was founded in 1861, just ten years after the birth of its home town of Seattle, Washington. This makes the public research university one of the oldest schools on the American West Coast.
With campuses in Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell, the University of Washington covers a sprawling 20 million square feet of space in the state of Washington.
- The University of Washington is great for students who:
Love reading. With 26 libraries, art centers, museums, labs, and lecture halls, UW boasts one of the largest library systems in the world.
- The University of Washington might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer sunny skies. The Pacific Northwest is famous for its cloudy climate.
- #7 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #7 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #7 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025 #23 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2025
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
89%
Student body
51K
Median SAT/ACT
1425/29
Career Outlook for degree at University of Wisconsin–Madison
Cost of Degree: $11,205Expenses: $17,700Starting Salary: $68,000Cost Recoup Time: 9 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Wisconsin–Madison known for?
University of Wisconsin–Madison’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Sociology
- History
- Earth Sciences
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Psychology
- Computer Science
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of Wisconsin-Madison?
University of Wisconsin-Madison is the flagship university of the University of Wisconsin state school system. Founded simultaneous to Wisconsin’s statehood in 1848, the “Public Ivy” is the oldest public school in Wisconsin.
With more than 33,000 undergraduate students, The University of Wisconsin-Madison is also the largest school in the state of Wisconsin.
- The University of Wisconsin-Madison is great for students who:
Enjoy access to nature. The main campus is located on the shore of Lake Mendota, and the University owns and operates the 1200 acre Madison Arboretum, just 4 miles south of campus.
- The University of Wisconsin-Madison might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer a quiet college experience. Students characterize the Madison campus as a highly social atmosphere that encouraged students activity and engagement.
- #8 Top Schools that Offer Free Master's Degrees Online #8 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #8 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #8 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025
Tuition + fees
$21K
Acceptance
19%
Graduation
95%
Student body
29K
Median SAT/ACT
1470/33
Career Outlook for degree at University of Virginia
Cost of Degree: $22,323Expenses: $18,940Starting Salary: $79,400Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Virginia known for?
University of Virginia’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of Virginia?
University of Virginia is a public university with an extremely prestigious history. In fact, the original governing board for this “Public Ivy” included Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. At the time of its founding, Monroe was the President of the United States.
Among the many prominent graduates of UVA are the founders of Reddit and CNET.
- University of Virginia is great for students who:
Enjoy the prestige of an Ivy League school with the affordability of a public university. In-state students enjoy tuition discounts while joining a tradition that has produced 55 Rhodes Scholars.
- University of Virginia might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer a more personalized experience. UVA students will often take introductory courses in large lecture halls with scores of other students.
- University of Virginia is great for students who:
- #9 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #9 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #9 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025 #3 Most Affordable Colleges in California 2025
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
24%
Graduation
88%
Student body
44K
Career Outlook for degree at University of California, San Diego
Cost of Degree: $15,265Expenses: $23,240Starting Salary: $69,600Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of California, San Diego known for?
University of California, San Diego’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Biology
- Psychology
- Earth Sciences
- Computer Science
- Anthropology
- Mathematics
- Engineering
- Economics
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of California, San Diego?
University of California, San Diego is characterized as a “Public Ivy,” a state funded school with a topflight reputation and academic experience. UCSD has produced 27 Nobel Prize winners.
The University of California, San Diego drew more than 140,000 undergraduate applications for the Fall 2021 semester. This makes it the second most applied to school in the country just behind UC’s flagship campus in Los Angeles.
- The University of California, San Diego is great for students who:
Enjoy sunny weather and nearby beaches. The universities 2,178 acres are situated just off the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
- The University of California, San Diego might not be the best fit for students who:
Need a large amount of personal support. Students often describe UCSD as a school where you must be proactive to find the right activities, groups, and opportunities for you.
- #9 Top Schools that Offer Free Master's Degrees Online #12 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #13 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #13 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
17%
Graduation
91%
Student body
34K
Median SAT/ACT
1440/32
Career Outlook for degree at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cost of Degree: $8,989Expenses: $17,120Starting Salary: $68,800Cost Recoup Time: 8 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill known for?
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill?
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is considered a “Public Ivy,” a school with state funding that offers the prestige and educational experience akin to those at a private Ivy League school.
The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is the flagship campus for the broader University of North Carolina system and began enrolling students in 1795. This makes UNC the only public school in the U.S. to both teach and graduate students in the 18th Century!
- The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is great for students who:
Desire a well-rounded education. All students are required to complete a liberal arts education on the way to their chosen major. Popular majors include biology, business administration, and psychology.
- The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer a more conservative environment. Many students at UNC notes that the campus culture tends to lean to the liberal side of the political spectrum.
- The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is great for students who:
- #10 Top Schools that Offer Free Master's Degrees Online #14 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #15 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #15 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
53%
Graduation
88%
Student body
67K
Median SAT/ACT
1395/30
Career Outlook for degree at Ohio State University
Cost of Degree: $12,859Expenses: $18,372Starting Salary: $53,600Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Ohio State University known for?
Ohio State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Earth Sciences
- Psychology
- Engineering
- Literature
- Mathematics
- Communications
- History
- Chemistry
- Education
- Business
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about Ohio State University?
Ohio State University is a public research university based in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1870, it was actually stewarded into existence by then Ohio governor and later President of the U.S., Rutherford B. Hayes.
Fun fact: Ohio State University is literally the only institution in North America where you can earn an ABET-accredited undergraduate degree in welding engineering.
- Ohio State University is great for students who:
Enjoy a good time. Ohio State often ranks high on the list of best party schools and best spectator sports tradition.
- Ohio State University might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer a smaller school experience. With more than 50,000 undergrads and 15,000 grad students, Ohio State is the third largest school in the nation.
- #16 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #17 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #17 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025 #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Maryland 2025
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
45%
Graduation
89%
Student body
42K
Median SAT/ACT
1440/32
Career Outlook for degree at University of Maryland, College Park
Cost of Degree: $11,505Expenses: $19,380Starting Salary: $70,800Cost Recoup Time: 9 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Maryland, College Park known for?
University of Maryland, College Park’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Sociology
- Engineering
- Political Science
- Earth Sciences
- Psychology
- Social Work
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of Maryland?
University of Maryland is the flagship school in the state university system. Recognized as a “Public Ivy,” UMD is classified as an R1 Doctoral University for the excellence of its research tradition.
If fact, because of its proximity to the nation’s capital, the University of Maryland enjoys several major research partnerships with the federal government. This provides students with pathways to research, internship and employment through major agencies like NASA, the FDA, and the NIH.
- The University of Maryland is great for students who:
Enjoy an excellent athletics tradition. The UMD Terps compete in the NCAA’s vaunted Big Ten Conference.
- The University of Maryland might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer a small campus. With more than 41,000 students, UMD is the largest school in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
- #2 15 Best Self-paced Online Colleges Ranked for 2025 #17 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #18 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2025 #18 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2025
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
45%
Graduation
85%
Student body
62K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/31
Career Outlook for degree at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Cost of Degree: $18,060Expenses: $17,638Starting Salary: $70,900Cost Recoup Time: 10 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign known for?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Engineering
- Chemistry
- Psychology
- Economics
- Biology
- Philosophy
- Communications
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public research university that was founded in 1867. The Urbana-Champaign campus is the flagship campus in the University of Illinois system .
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also happens to own and maintain the fastest supercomputer based on a university campus.
- The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is great for students who:
Enjoy access to great literature and research. The library system at the University of Illinois Ubrana-Champaign is second only to Harvard’s in size and scale.
- The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign might not be the best fit for students who:
Aren’t interested in “Greek” life. Fraternities play a big part in shaping campus culture, which students describe as very party-friendly.
- #2 Online Colleges with the Most Generous Financial Aid in 2025 #2 Top 15 Best Online Colleges for Transfer Students in 2025 #3 15 Best Self-paced Online Colleges Ranked for 2025 #6 15 Best Online Colleges for Veterans to Start Their Careers 2025
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
23%
Graduation
90%
Student body
63K
Median SAT/ACT
1395/30
Career Outlook for degree at University of Florida
Cost of Degree: $6,381Expenses: $16,220Starting Salary: $65,700Cost Recoup Time: 8 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Florida known for?
University of Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of Florida?
University of Florida is public university with strong appeal for students with an interest in research. The University of Florida is classified among R1 Doctoral Universities, those institutions noted for a very high level or research activity.
The University of Florida also holds the distinction of being the only Florida college with members in the Association of American Universities.
- The University of Florida is great for students who:
Enjoy an excellent athletics program. The UF Gators varsity sports teams have claimed 45 national championships for the school.
- The University of Florida might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer a more intimate experience. With more than 57,800 students enrolled during the 2020-21 academic year, the University of Florida is the fifth largest school in the United States.
- The University of Florida is great for students who:
- #1 Best Public Colleges in Georgia 2025 #2 Best Colleges in Georgia 2025 #2 Best Research Universities in Georgia 2025 #2 Most Affordable Colleges in Georgia Ranked for Students in 2024
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
43%
Graduation
88%
Student body
44K
Median SAT/ACT
1320/29
Career Outlook for degree at University of Georgia
Cost of Degree: $11,180Expenses: $16,926Starting Salary: $59,100Cost Recoup Time: 10 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Georgia known for?
University of Georgia’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the University of Georgia?
University of Georgia is a public university that was founded in 1785 in the cultural hub of Athens, Georgia. As the flagship university in the state school system, the Athens campus is the oldest pulibc university in Georgia.
The University of Georgia is notable for the excellence of its research tradition and facilities, earning classification was an R1 Doctoral University.
- The University of Georgia is great for students who:
Enjoy a lively culture scene. In fact, Rolling Stone magazine once ranked Georgia in the top ten among “Schools that Rock” for producing prominent musicians including members of R.E.M., the B-52s, and producer Danger Mouse.
- The University of Georgia might not be the best fit for:
Non-traditional students. The University of Georgia caters more directly to recent high school graduates and may not always offer the most flexible course options for working adults.
University of Georgia’s Online Degrees
BS in Education
Degree Concentrations
- Special Education
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
- The University of Georgia is great for students who:
- #13 America's 15 Most Technologically Advanced Colleges #25 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2025 #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Georgia Ranked for Students in 2024 #2 Best Public Colleges in Georgia 2025
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
17%
Graduation
93%
Student body
52K
Median SAT/ACT
1460/33
Career Outlook for degree at Georgia Tech
Cost of Degree: $11,764Expenses: $16,760Starting Salary: $85,900Cost Recoup Time: 8 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Georgia Tech known for?
Georgia Tech’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
What do we love about the Georgia Institute of Technology?
Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a public research university located in Atlanta. As one of the top ranking engineering schools in the nation, Georgia Tech is a popular destination for in-state students.
As a public school that provides in-state tuition discounts, 50-55% of Georgia Tech’s students are from the state of Georgia.
- The Georgia Institute of Technology is great for students who:
Enjoy subjects like engineering, computer science, and environmental science and more. Moreover, most of Georgia Tech’s engineering sub-disciplines-like chemical engineering and biomedical engineering-are highly ranked.
- The Georgia Institute of Technology might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer a more intimate college experience. Georgia Tech’s student body includes more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
- The Georgia Institute of Technology is great for students who:
Using Financial Aid to Get Your Best ROI on a College Education
High value colleges aren’t just those that offer the most affordable tuition rates. Many of the schools ranked here offer generous financial aid packages, need-based grants, and scholarships. One of the keys to maximizing the value of your degree program is to make sure you’re receiving all the financial aid support for which you are eligible.
The first step is to ensure that you are attending a college or university which is properly accredited. Only students attending colleges and universities which are accredited by agencies with Department of Education recognition will qualify to receive federal financial aid.
It’s also important to fill out your FAFSA, which uses your family income to determine what type of financial aid you qualify for. Students who qualify for need-based financial aid grants may be able to minimize student loan debt. Anything you can do to reduce the student debt burden you face after graduation would significantly improve the value return on your degree.
Tips for Avoiding Student Debt
The best way to minimize your student debt burden is to choose a public university or land grant institution in your state. Undergraduate students and graduate students alike can receive in-state tuition rate discounts as well as access to federal and state-based financial aid.
Fortunately, public universities are typically distinguished by their extremely broad set of offerings at both the college and graduate school levels. And whether you’re interested in a research intensive public university or a liberal arts experience, there is a public university in your state with a compatible education program.
International students won’t always have access to the same financial aid or tuition discount opportunities. But attending a public university or research institution is still a more affordable path that a private college in most cases.
Popular Degrees at Best Value Colleges
Because the best value colleges on our list are largely public universities, most specialize in offering an extremely wide range of degree programs and higher education disciplines. Prospective students can generally choose from affordable business programs, professional programs, and political science degrees.
Students with an interest in STEM subjects can pursue applied science degrees in areas like mechanical engineering, marine science, biological sciences, computer science, and more.
Other popular degree areas at best value schools include social sciences, health sciences, public health, and much more.
Many public university systems are also designed to include both undergraduate schools and graduate schools. If you attend a public research university and anticipate pursuing an advanced degree, you may be able to merge your undergraduate and graduate school into a single extended degree program. This can be a great way to get the most value out of your pursuit of both degrees.
An affordable, quality education from an accredited college or university is absolutely possible. Check out our comprehensive guide to affordable degrees for a deep-dive.
