Top 100 - Most Affordable Mid-size to Large Colleges and Universities in 2023

Most affordable universities in US in 2023

While price is important, getting a good education is more important. But if you look hard, you can find a great education at a great price. Below is our list of top 100 most affordable universities in the United States for 2023. Each offers exceptional value for students looking for a great education – at a great price.

Rank	School Name	Net Price	Student Body
1	California State University–Dominquez Hills Carson, CA	$1,640	14,700
2	University of Texas–Pan American Edinburg, TX	$2,500	20,050
3	California State University–Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	$2,735	24,488
4	CUNY Leman College Bronx, New York	$2,327	12,400
5	City College of New York New York, NY	$7,125	15,580
6	Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC	$6,848	5,900
7	Dalton State College Dalton, GA	$6,256	4,850
8	University of Texas–El Paso El Paso, TX	$5,607	23,000
9	CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY	$7,033	17,300
10	Queens College of the CUNY Flushing, NY	$10,000	325

11	California State University–Fresno Fresno, CA	$5,599	23,179
12	University of Arkansas–Fort Smith Fort Smith, AR	$7,679	6,830
13	Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK	$7,211	8,310
14	California State University–San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA	$4,344	18,952
15	Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY	$7,220	17,390
16	Daytona State College Daytona Beach, FL	$5,064	13,248
17	California State University–Fullerton Fullerton, CA	$5,542	38,128
18	Louisiana State University–Shreveport Shreveport, LA	$7,433	4,186
19	College of Staten Island Staten Island, NY	$9,575	14,346
20	University of Louisiana–Monroe Monroe, LA	$9,488	9,002

21	California State University–Stanislaus Turlock, CA	$6,340	9,045
22	University of Alaska–Anchorage Anchorage, AK	$7,715	17,151
23	East Central University Ada, OK	$6,058	4,428
24	University of Texas–Brownsville New York, NY	$6,083	11,943
25	Hunter College of the CUNY New York, NY	$8,129	23,112
26	University of Tennessee at Martin Martin, TN	$10,000	10,000
27	North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Greensboro, NC	$10,145	10,725
28	Saint Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL	$7,499	32,681
29	State University of New York College at Old Westbury West Bury, NY	$13,813	8,106
30	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, Louisiana	$8,463	17,195

31	Purdue University North Central Westville, IN	$7,832	6,177
32	Indiana University East Westville, IN	$7,975	4,573
33	Northwestern State University of Louisiana Natchitoches, LA	$9,488	9,002
34	Tennessee State University Nashville, TN	$14,708	14,434
35	University of Texas–Dallas Richardson, TX	$5,859	2,575
36	California State University–Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA	$5,690	8,720
37	Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR	$9,630	12,002
38	Brigham Young University–Idaho Rexburg, ID	$7,968	36,624
39	California State University–Long Beach Long Beach, CA	$7,672	36,809
40	University of Alaska–Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK	$8,383	8,620

41	Winston Salem State University Winston Salem, NC	$7,737	5,220
42	California State University–Monterey Bay Sea Side, CA	$8,121	6,631
43	Marshall University Huntington, WV	$8,738	13,381
44	Shepherd University Shepherdstown, WV	$9,074	4,041
45	Middle Georgia College Macon, GA	$17,015	6,772
46	Prairie View A&M University Prairie View, TX	$8,628	8,429
47	University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA	$8,661	9,234
48	Fairmont State University Fairmont, WV	$8,717	4,035
49	Rhode Island College Providence, RI	$8,372	8,641
50	Texas Woman's University Denton, TX	$8,596	15,071

51	Midwestern State University Wichita Falls, TX	$10,172	5,874
52	Nicholls State University Thibodaux, LA	$9,369	6,292
53	Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA	$9,544	14,487
54	University of Texas–Permian Basin Odessa, TX	$8,245	5,560
55	Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR	$4,902	1,393
56	California State University–Sacramento Sacramento, CA	$7,446	29,349
57	Cameron University Lawton, OK	$9,442	5,537
58	Wichita State University Wichita, KS	$9,843	14,995
59	Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY	$8,298	15,090
60	Utah Valley University Orem, UT	$6,766	31,332

61	University of Washington–Tacoma Tacoma, WA	$9,410	4,477
62	Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA	$9,252	11,225
63	Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO	$8,700	5,613
64	Kent State University–Stark North Canton, OH	$10,132	4,678
65	Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN	$10,910	22,729
66	University of Hawaii–Hilo Hilo, HI	$7,063	3,809
67	University of Central Arkansas Conway, AK	$11,051	11,698
68	University of Wisconsin–Parkside Kenosha, WI	$9,187	4,543
69	University of Washington–Bothell Bothell, Washington	$9,209	4,962
70	University of Michigan–Dearborn Dearborn, MI	$12,347	8,923

71	University of Washington–Seattle Seattle, WA	$10,374	44,784
72	University of North Carolina–Greensboro city, state	$10,076	18,647
73	New Jersey City University city, state	$6,931	8,136
74	University of North Carolina–Pembroke Pembroke, NC	$10,686	6,269
75	North Carolina Central University–Durham, NC city, state	$9,701	7,687
76	Missouri Western State University St. Joseph, MO	$10,021	5,834
77	Savannah State University Savannah, GA	$9,894	4,915
78	Eastern New Mexico University Portales, NM	$7,978	3,303
79	Murray State University Murray, KY	$9,970	11,207
80	University of Arkansas–Little Rock Little Rock, AK	$12,780	11,645

81	Vincennes University Vincennes, IN	$9,963	19,205
82	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV	$8,221	2,985
83	Indiana University–Kokomo Kokomo, IN	$8,633	4,180
84	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	$10,085	33,483
85	Texas A&M University–Commerce Commerce, TX	$8,625	12,111
86	University of Houston–Victoria Victoria, TX	$10,131	4,407
87	Stanford University Stanford, CA	$17,952	16,963
88	Indiana University–Southeast New Albany, IN	$11,510	6,442
89	Applalachian State University Boone, NC	$11,508	18,026
90	Chicago State University Chicago, IL	$10,610	5,211

91	Weber State University Ogden, UT	$10,005	25,954
92	Southwestern Oklahoma State University Weatherford, OK	$6,731	1,460
93	University of North Alabama Florence, AL	$10,118	6,841
94	Jackson State University Jackson, MI	$10,417	9,508
95	University of Michigan–Flint Flint, MI	$11,657	8,574
96	California State University–Northridge city, state	$10,196	40,131
97	University of North Carolina–Charlotte Charlotte, NC	$10,000	27,238
98	University of Illinois–Springfield Springfield, IL	$9,049	5,431
99	Southern Polytechnic State University Marietta, GA	$11,692	6,786
100	University of Massachusetts–Boston Boston, MA	$10,376	16,756

See also:

Determining what higher education path to pursue will be one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make. This path will determine where you study, what you study and will impact your future career choice and earning potential. These days more and more people are attending community colleges because they provide a good return on investment. Attending a community college is inexpensive and allows students to develop targeted skills that are directly applicable in various trades and careers. However, while affordable, an education in the community lacks a bit of the prestigious, credential and higher education opportunity provided by a four-year university. For those who are looking to gain a university level education and degree, as affordably as possible, attending any one of the universities listed above is a great option.

So how did we develop our list? We started with a list of just under 2,700 regionally accredited universities provided by the National Center of Education Statistics–a U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences that collects and organizes data on higher education institutions operating in the United States. We then chose to use only those universities with a student body of at least 4,000 (mid-range to large schools)– the list above does not include smaller colleges and universities. We then removed 2-year community colleges, graduate schools, and especially schools from the list–as well as schools that don't admit first-year freshman. We then selected the top 100 schools from our list based on "net price"–a figure which includes tuition, fees, room and board and other expenses students will need to cover.