Cost plays a large role in the college selection process, and sparks many conversations. New to our rankings this year is a list dedicated to highlighting some of the best colleges that won’t break the bank.
For this list, we looked at the colleges in our overall rankings that reported $20,000 or less in out-of-state tuition costs. (So not including room & board or other fees). We are excluding US military colleges as they cover students’ tuition.
Here are the top 10 colleges with tuition under $20,000 a year!
10. Georgia Southern University
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Flickr user Georgia Southern
Location: Statesboro, GA
- Student Enrollment: 20,673
- College Type: Public
GSU has recently partnered with the US Air Force to offer even more degrees. GUS the Eagle is the school’s mascot, though they also have a live eagle named Freedom. The school’s Lamar Q Ball, Jr. Raptor Center is also home to 85 other birds. GSU has an acceptance rate of 68% and a first year retention rate of 81%.
9. Florida Gulf Coast University
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Flickr user Tyler Small (Note: Image is of Fort Myers, not FGCU)
Location: Fort Myers, FL
- Student Enrollment: 14,821
- College Type: Public
Located between the Florida Everglades and the Gulf of Mexico, FGCU is an school for those interested in nature conservancy, marine biology, and other environmental and scientific studies. The student to faculty ratio at the FGCU is 22:1. Their school colors are cobalt blue and emerald green.
8. Fort Valley State University
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Wikimedia Commons user JudMcCranie
Location: Fort Valley, GA
- Student Enrollment: 2,679
- College Type: Public
Fort Valley State is a highly selective, historically black university. FVSU’s school’s motto is: “Be bold. Be amazing. Be prepared.” Their school colors are royal blue and old gold and their mascot is a wildcat. FVSU students compete in NCAA Division II sports, including basketball, football, softball, tennis, and volleyball.
7. Brigham Young University – Hawaii Campus
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Flickr user Daniel Ramirez
Location: Laie, HI
- Student Enrollment: 2,866
- College Type: Private
Brigham Young University – Hawaii integrates both secular and spiritual learning into its curriculum. The school offers programs in liberal arts, mathematics, and management. This is a highly selective school with a 37% acceptance rate. The campus is located on the island of Oahu and is not far from the ocean.
6. Brigham Young University – Provo
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Flickr user Aaron Hawkins
Location: Provo, UT
- Student Enrollment: 34,240
- College Type: Private
BYU is a fairly selective school with a 52% acceptance rate. Students are expected to follow the school’s Honor Code, which includes academic honesty and dress / grooming standards. Incoming freshman score an average between 27 and 32 on the ACT and between 1280 and 1460 on the SAT.
5. Randall University
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Wikimedia Commons user P. Melendez (Note: Image is of Moore Public School, not RU)
Location: Moore, OK
- Student Enrollment: 346
- College Type: Private
This is a highly selective school, with a 41% acceptance rate. It was formerly known as the Oklahoma Bible College. Randall is an incredibly small school, and 95% (327 total) of students study at the undergraduate level, while the remaining 5% (19 total) are graduate students. They have a 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
4. University of North Georgia
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Wikimedia Commons user ZachJBeavers
Location: Dahlonega, GA
- Student Enrollment: 18,219
- College Type: Public
The University of North Georgia’s mascot is Nigel the Nighthawk. The school’s colors are blue and gold. 97% of the total students on campus study at the undergraduate level. Business, Registered Nursing, Criminal Justice, Special Education, and Biology are the five most popular majors at UNG.
3. Louisiana State University – Alexandria
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Wikimedia Commons user lsuaexpert
Location: Alexandria, LA
- Student Enrollment: 3,276
- College Type: Public
Louisiana State University – Alexandria is a rural, highly selective school, with only about 31% of applicants gaining acceptance. A majority of the students on campus (66.8%) are women. Purple and gold are the school colors, and their sports teams are known as the Generals. LSUA competes in NAIA Division I sports.
2. Brigham Young University – Idaho Campus
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Flickr user Ken Lund
Location: Rexburg, ID
- Student Enrollment: 44,821
- College Type: Private
BYU – Idaho sports the colors blue, black, and white. This university has sister colleges in Hawaii and Utah. Business is the most popular major on campus, followed by General Studies, and Human Development & Family Sciences. BYU – Idaho has students from all 50 states, and Puerto Rico.
1. Curtis Institute of Music
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Wikimedia Commons user Daderot
Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Student Enrollment: 173
- College Type: Private
Curtis is a is an extraordinarily selective school with a 2.9% acceptance rate, the lowest in the country. Live auditions play a huge role in the admissions process. Given its small size, Curtis has a 2:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Alumni of Curtis go on to become principal performers in orchestras around the globe, renowned composers, and world-class singers.
About our methodology
Colleges are ranked based on a combination of factors, including graduation rates, campus diversity, endowment per student, and other data as reported via the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the most recently-available enrollment year. Some colleges may have been excluded from rankings based on certain criteria, including specialization and classification. Learn about our full methodology.
Interested in any of these schools? Check out College Raptor’s free match tool to see if they’re a good fit for you!
