Best value private colleges in America

By Stacker

Published October 9, 2025 2:19 AM

A dark stone historic church.

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

Best value private colleges in America

As of the second quarter of 2025, student loan debt in the U.S. hit $1.814 trillion. According to the Education Data Initiative, that averages out to about $42,673 per borrower. For many, that level of debt is debilitating, preventing them from achieving financial stability and even delaying major life milestones, such as marriage, having children, and buying a home.

Still, it’s generally believed that higher education offers a solid return on investment. According to the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, bachelor’s degree programs have a median ROI of $160,000. And there are other, less easily measurable benefits that come from pursuing a formal degree, including the connections students can make and early-stage career support.

This type of added value is multiplied at private colleges, with their small class sizes, specialized departments, and tight alumni networks. However, the average cost of tuition at a four-year private college is nearly four times that at a four-year public college, according to the Education Data Initiative. For many, that is enough to cross private schools off their lists, but that may not be necessary. Some private schools with higher endowments are able to offer significant scholarships, while others have name recognition and alumni networks that open doors to high-paying jobs that can help offset student loan payments.

But how do you determine which schools are worth the investment? Stacker compiled a list of the best value private colleges in America using Niche’s 2026 rankings. Only private, four-year colleges were considered. The ranking weighs the average 30-year return on investment, cost of tuition, graduation rate, median earnings, and other factors.

Read on to discover the best value private colleges in America and see where students are getting the most bang for their buck.

Marietta college campus.

miller_hannahc // Shutterstock

#50. Marietta College

– Location: Marietta, OH
– Acceptance rate: 79%
– Overall Niche grade: B
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $21,333
– Typical SAT range: 990-1300

Mount Saint Mary's University sign and campus.

Kit Leong // Shutterstock

#49. Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles

– Location: Los Angeles, CA
– Acceptance rate: 69%
– Overall Niche grade: B+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $27,434
– Typical SAT range: 900-1110

College students in class.

Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock

#48. Saint Xavier University

– Location: Chicago, IL
– Acceptance rate: 86%
– Overall Niche grade: B-
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $11,943
– Typical SAT range: 950-1120

McDonough Hall at University of Saint Joseph.

Cynthia Farmer // Shutterstock

#47. University of Saint Joseph

– Location: West Hartford, CT
– Acceptance rate: 80%
– Overall Niche grade: B
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $27,558
– Typical SAT range: 960-1250

Wellesley College Tower Court.

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#46. Wellesley College

– Location: Wellesley, MA
– Acceptance rate: 14%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $21,501
– Typical SAT range: 1440-1550

A young woman working in a class.

PeopleImages // Shutterstock

#45. College of Saint Mary

– Location: Omaha, NE
– Acceptance rate: 44%
– Overall Niche grade: A-
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $14,265
– Typical SAT range: Not available

A white stone building and sign at the University of St. Francis.

Joseph Hendrickson // Shutterstock

#44. University of St. Francis – Illinois

– Location: Joliet, IL
– Acceptance rate: 64%
– Overall Niche grade: B
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $16,455
– Typical SAT range: 900-1170

A stone sign for Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Rosemarie Mosteller // Shutterstock

#43. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

– Location: Terre Haute, IN
– Acceptance rate: 73%
– Overall Niche grade: A-
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $44,016
– Typical SAT range: 1280-1470

Main Hall at Wagner College.

ARK NEYMAN // Shutterstock

#42. Wagner College

– Location: Staten Island, NY
– Acceptance rate: 83%
– Overall Niche grade: B-
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $28,109
– Typical SAT range: 1150-1320

An empty lecture hall.

Kirill Neiezhmakov // Shutterstock

#41. Hamilton College

– Location: Clinton, NY
– Acceptance rate: 12%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $26,021
– Typical SAT range: 1410-1550

Two adirondack chairs overlooking Fall foliage at Middlebury College.

Deanna Rae // Shutterstock

#40. Middlebury College

– Location: Middlebury, VT
– Acceptance rate: 10%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $22,912
– Typical SAT range: 1430-1550

Gothic architecture at the University of Chicago.

Liz Albro Photography // Shutterstock

#39. University of Chicago

– Location: Chicago, IL
– Acceptance rate: 5%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $27,979
– Typical SAT range: 1510-1570

Molloy University President and students.

Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM // Getty Images

#38. Molloy University

– Location: Rockville Centre, NY
– Acceptance rate: 76%
– Overall Niche grade: B+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $25,938
– Typical SAT range: 1080-1310

A historic church.

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

#37. Georgetown University

– Location: Washington, DC
– Acceptance rate: 13%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $37,967
– Typical SAT range: 1390-1550

A dark stone building at Boston college.

Zhong Chen // Shutterstock

#36. Boston College

– Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
– Acceptance rate: 16%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $32,590
– Typical SAT range: 1430-1540

A professor teaching a class.

Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock

#35. Unitek College – Fremont

– Location: Fremont, CA
– Acceptance rate: 100%
– Overall Niche grade: C+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $23,984
– Typical SAT range: Not available

An empty college classroom.

KateV28 // Shutterstock

#34. Saint Elizabeth University

– Location: Morristown, NJ
– Acceptance rate: 77%
– Overall Niche grade: B
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $18,412
– Typical SAT range: 890-1100

Bowdoin College.

EQRoy // Shutterstock

#33. Bowdoin College

– Location: Brunswick, ME
– Acceptance rate: 8%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $23,110
– Typical SAT range: 1480-1550

Fall at Berea College.

Minh Truong // Shutterstock

#32. Berea College

– Location: Berea, KY
– Acceptance rate: 33%
– Overall Niche grade: B+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $4,379
– Typical SAT range: 1160-1340

A book open on a library table.

Jure Divich // Shutterstock

#31. Holy Family University

– Location: Philadelphia, PA
– Acceptance rate: 74%
– Overall Niche grade: B-
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $13,016
– Typical SAT range: 950-1140

A red brick building with a clocktower.

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#30. Brown University

– Location: Providence, RI
– Acceptance rate: 5%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $26,608
– Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

A young woman working on a laptop in a library.

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

#29. American Public University System

– Location: 4 Year (Online)
– Acceptance rate: 100%
– Overall Niche grade: B+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $10,322
– Typical SAT range: Not available

Washington Hall at Washington and Lee University.

Bram Reusen // Shutterstock

#28. Washington and Lee University

– Location: Lexington, VA
– Acceptance rate: 17%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $24,667
– Typical SAT range: 1410-1530

A stone building at Lehigh University.

Helen89 // Shutterstock

#27. Lehigh University

– Location: Bethlehem, PA
– Acceptance rate: 29%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $33,289
– Typical SAT range: 1350-1490

Western Governors University.

JHVEPhoto // Shutterstock

#26. Western Governors University

– Location: 4 Year (Online)
– Acceptance rate: 100%
– Overall Niche grade: B-
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $9,555
– Typical SAT range: Not available

An aerial view of Cornell.

Lewis Liu // Shutterstock

#25. Cornell University

– Location: Ithaca, NY
– Acceptance rate: 8%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $26,455
– Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

A nursing student.

PeopleImages // Shutterstock

#24. Helene Fuld College of Nursing

– Location: New York, NY
– Acceptance rate: 24%
– Overall Niche grade: unavailable
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $37,732
– Typical SAT range: Not available

A historic stone building with a clocktower.

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#23. Vanderbilt University

– Location: Nashville, TN
– Acceptance rate: 6%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $26,689
– Typical SAT range: 1510-1560

A historic building with a golden dome.

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

#22. University of Notre Dame

– Location: Notre Dame, IN
– Acceptance rate: 12%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $29,083
– Typical SAT range: 1440-1540

An aerial view of Williams College.

K. Issa // Shutterstock

#21. Williams College

– Location: Williamstown, MA
– Acceptance rate: 10%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $16,988
– Typical SAT range: 1470-1560

Northwestern University across the water.

Eugene Moerman // Shutterstock

#20. Northwestern University

– Location: Evanston, IL
– Acceptance rate: 7%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A
– Net price: $23,341
– Typical SAT range: 1490-1560

Columbia University.

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#19. Columbia University

– Location: New York, NY
– Acceptance rate: 4%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $20,869
– Typical SAT range: 1490-1570

Students walking in front of Johns Hopkins University.

Liz Albro Photography // Shutterstock

#18. Johns Hopkins University

– Location: Baltimore, MD
– Acceptance rate: 8%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $22,844
– Typical SAT range: 1530-1580

Colorful flowers in front of Swarthmore College.

Spiroview Inc // Shutterstock

#17. Swarthmore College

– Location: Swarthmore, PA
– Acceptance rate: 7%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $17,930
– Typical SAT range: 1460-1560

Johnson Chapel tower at Amherst College.

HantongWu // Shutterstock

#16. Amherst College

– Location: Amherst, MA
– Acceptance rate: 10%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $17,965
– Typical SAT range: 1360-1550

A stone building at Duke University.

EQRoy // Shutterstock

#15. Duke University

– Location: Durham, NC
– Acceptance rate: 7%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $23,422
– Typical SAT range: 1510-1570

A historic stone building.

Kim Willems // Shutterstock

#14. Washington University in St. Louis

– Location: Saint Louis, MO
– Acceptance rate: 12%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $22,440
– Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

Rice University on a sunny day.

Framalicious // Shutterstock

#13. Rice University

– Location: Houston, TX
– Acceptance rate: 8%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $20,587
– Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

University of Pennsylvania.

f11photo // Shutterstock

#12. University of Pennsylvania

– Location: Philadelphia, PA
– Acceptance rate: 6%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $26,017
– Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

Historic white stone buildings.

Tupungato // Shutterstock

#11. Carnegie Mellon University

– Location: Pittsburgh, PA
– Acceptance rate: 11%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $32,964
– Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

Students sitting on a green lawn on campus.

f11photo // Shutterstock

#10. Yale University

– Location: New Haven, CT
– Acceptance rate: 5%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $26,044
– Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

Claremont McKenna College sign.

Barbara Kalbfleisch // Shutterstock

#9. Claremont McKenna College

– Location: Claremont, CA
– Acceptance rate: 11%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $29,978
– Typical SAT range: 1450-1560

Students on a lawn in front of a red stone building with a clocktower.

Jay Yuan // Shutterstock

#8. Dartmouth College

– Location: Hanover, NH
– Acceptance rate: 6%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $17,322
– Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

Pomona College.

Wirestock Creators // Shutterstock

#7. Pomona College

– Location: Claremont, CA
– Acceptance rate: 7%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $17,423
– Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

Purple blooming trees in front of Princeton.

Jay Yuan // Shutterstock

#6. Princeton University

– Location: Princeton, NJ
– Acceptance rate: 4%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $19,811
– Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

Historic buildings at Harvard.

Roman Babakin // Shutterstock

#5. Harvard University

– Location: Cambridge, MA
– Acceptance rate: 3%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $17,900
– Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

Stanford lined with palm trees.

achinthamb // Shutterstock

#4. Stanford University

– Location: Stanford, CA
– Acceptance rate: 4%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $17,998
– Typical SAT range: 1510-1580

Modern and abstract art and buildings.

cdrin // Shutterstock

#3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

– Location: Cambridge, MA
– Acceptance rate: 5%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $21,519
– Typical SAT range: 1510-1580

Harvey Mudd College.

Jim_Brown_Photography // Shutterstock

#2. Harvey Mudd College

– Location: Claremont, CA
– Acceptance rate: 13%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $42,720
– Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

Beckman Institute at the California Institute of Technology.

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

#1. California Institute of Technology

– Location: Pasadena, CA
– Acceptance rate: 3%
– Overall Niche grade: A+
– Value grade: A+
– Net price: $23,397
– Typical SAT range: 1530-1580

Story updated by Isabel Sepulveda and Madison Troyer.

Article Topic Follows: Stacker-Money

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