Cheapest public universities for out-of-state students
Four-year public universities ranked by what they charge students from other states, counting only those where at least half of students graduate.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard and IPEDS, latest data · 317 colleges · Last updated November 15, 2026 · Next check November 16, 2026
Ranked first
$8,420
Wayne State College-Nebraska (Nebraska), out-of-state tuition and fees.
College Scorecard, latest data
Key findings
- Median qualifying college
- $24,829
- Out-of-state tuition and fees.
- Colleges that qualify
- 317
- The top 50 are listed below.
- States
- 49
- 317 public and 0 private nonprofit colleges.
317 four-year colleges in 49 states meet every criterion on this page.
Wayne State College-Nebraska (Nebraska) ranks first, with out-of-state tuition and fees of $8,420.
The median qualifying college has out-of-state tuition and fees of $24,829.
College by college
The ranking
Ranked by out-of-state tuition and fees, lowest first. Select a column heading to sort.
| Wayne State College-NebraskaNebraska · Public | 1 | $8,420 | $8,420 | 56% | $50,482 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Carolina UniversityNorth Carolina · Public | 2 | $8,685 | $4,685 | 61% | $53,764 |
| Mississippi University for WomenMississippi · Public | 3 | $8,747 | $8,747 | 53% | $52,685 |
| Chipola CollegeFlorida · Public | 4 | $8,914 | $3,084 | 59% | $42,998 |
| Nicholls State University-LouisianaLouisiana · Public | 5 | $9,834 | $8,741 | 51% | $49,144 |
| Southeast Missouri State UniversityMissouri · Public | 6 | $10,194 | $10,194 | 61% | $48,748 |
| Washburn UniversityKansas · Public | 7 | $10,256 | $10,256 | 52% | $53,102 |
| Bemidji State UniversityMinnesota · Public | 8 | $10,868 | $10,868 | 51% | $58,173 |
| Minnesota State University MoorheadMinnesota · Public | 9 | $11,056 | $11,056 | 53% | $55,234 |
| Youngstown State UniversityOhio · Public | 10 | $11,804 | $11,444 | 53% | $46,691 |
| South Florida State CollegeFlorida · Public | 11 | $11,859 | $3,165 | 52% | $41,548 |
| Northern State UniversitySouth Dakota · Public | 12 | $12,057 | $9,824 | 52% | $51,006 |
| Eastern Kentucky UniversityKentucky · Public | 13 | $12,300 | $10,740 | 51% | $50,885 |
| University of Southern MississippiMississippi · Public | 14 | $12,394 | $10,394 | 54% | $47,355 |
| Fairmont State UniversityWest Virginia · Public | 15 | $13,064 | $8,708 | 55% | $49,370 |
| South Dakota State UniversitySouth Dakota · Public | 16 | $13,166 | $9,554 | 62% | $58,802 |
| Southern Illinois University-EdwardsvilleIllinois · Public | 17 | $13,299 | $13,299 | 56% | $59,436 |
| University of South DakotaSouth Dakota · Public | 18 | $13,299 | $9,687 | 60% | $58,316 |
| University of Louisiana at MonroeLouisiana · Public | 19 | $13,467 | $9,556 | 51% | $49,742 |
| Southern Illinois University-CarbondaleIllinois · Public | 20 | $13,544 | $13,544 | 59% | $57,388 |
| Valley City State UniversityNorth Dakota · Public | 21 | $14,247 | $9,009 | 50% | $53,886 |
| Arkansas State University-Main CampusArkansas · Public | 22 | $15,002 | $8,354 | 58% | $47,220 |
| Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania · Public | 23 | $15,162 | $10,906 | 68% | $57,995 |
| East Tennessee State UniversityTennessee · Public | 24 | $15,194 | $10,994 | 55% | $48,646 |
| CUNY City CollegeNew York · Public | 25 | $15,290 | $7,340 | 50% | $69,594 |
| CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York · Public | 26 | $15,332 | $7,382 | 59% | $70,502 |
| CUNY Brooklyn CollegeNew York · Public | 27 | $15,400 | $7,450 | 53% | $66,519 |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew York · Public | 28 | $15,412 | $7,462 | 70% | $83,742 |
| CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNew York · Public | 29 | $15,420 | $7,470 | 54% | $65,870 |
| Central Michigan UniversityMichigan · Public | 30 | $15,420 | $15,420 | 59% | $59,879 |
| University of Arkansas at MonticelloArkansas · Public | 31 | $15,467 | $9,617 | 52% | $40,449 |
| CUNY Queens CollegeNew York · Public | 32 | $15,488 | $7,538 | 53% | $68,324 |
| Lake Superior State UniversityMichigan · Public | 33 | $15,506 | $15,506 | 50% | $55,573 |
| Emporia State UniversityKansas · Public | 34 | $15,539 | $7,226 | 57% | $50,860 |
| SUNY at FredoniaNew York · Public | 35 | $15,905 | $8,835 | 55% | $56,849 |
| University of MemphisTennessee · Public | 36 | $15,960 | $11,256 | 53% | $52,227 |
| Tennessee Technological UniversityTennessee · Public | 37 | $16,126 | $11,926 | 56% | $52,901 |
| University of Nebraska at KearneyNebraska · Public | 38 | $16,134 | $8,922 | 62% | $55,176 |
| South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologySouth Dakota · Public | 39 | $16,200 | $11,500 | 52% | $78,487 |
| SUNY BrockportNew York · Public | 40 | $16,242 | $8,752 | 50% | $60,028 |
| University of North DakotaNorth Dakota · Public | 41 | $16,541 | $11,645 | 61% | $67,456 |
| Central Connecticut State UniversityConnecticut · Public | 42 | $16,550 | $13,050 | 50% | $65,779 |
| University of Florida-OnlineFlorida · Public | 43 | $16,579 | $3,876 | 83% | $78,456 |
| Kutztown University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania · Public | 44 | $16,665 | $11,819 | 55% | $57,647 |
| North Dakota State University-Main CampusNorth Dakota · Public | 45 | $16,672 | $11,738 | 65% | $65,925 |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main CampusPennsylvania · Public | 46 | $16,804 | $11,724 | 52% | $57,182 |
| SUNY College of Technology at AlfredNew York · Public | 47 | $16,837 | $8,892 | 53% | $56,988 |
| The University of Tennessee-MartinTennessee · Public | 48 | $16,864 | $10,824 | 51% | $48,116 |
| Western Connecticut State UniversityConnecticut · Public | 49 | $16,901 | $13,401 | 51% | $62,010 |
| Pennsylvania Western UniversityPennsylvania · Public | 50 | $17,006 | $12,075 | 51% | $51,161 |
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Use this for your family
These are medians. Your price and payback depend on your income, your state and the college, so run the numbers for the colleges on your list.
Methodology
- Colleges counted
- Every college published on CollegesRef that is public or private nonprofit, in a four-year Carnegie class (doctoral, master's or baccalaureate), in the 50 states or D.C., with at least 500 undergraduates and both figures reported in the College Scorecard.
- Criteria
- This list keeps public four-year universities that graduate at least 50% of students and charge out-of-state tuition and fees of at least $2,000 a year (lower figures are service academies and work colleges), then ranks them by out-of-state tuition and fees. Closed colleges are left out.
3 more notes: exclusions, definitions, what it leaves out
- Exclusions
- For-profit colleges, two-year colleges, special-focus institutions, colleges with fewer undergraduates than the minimum, U.S. territories and colleges missing either figure are left out. Earnings figures without a federal reporting year are excluded.
- Definitions
- Median earnings are former students' earnings ten years after entry (College Scorecard MD_EARN_WNE_P10). Average net price is cost of attendance minus average grants for aided first-time, full-time students (NPT4). Median debt is federal loan debt at graduation (GRAD_DEBT_MDN). Graduation rate is the IPEDS rate reported in the Scorecard.
- What it leaves out
- A ranking on federal figures says nothing about teaching, fit or programs. Earnings are before tax and not specific to a major; prices are averages, so your family's price depends on its income and the college's aid.
Read the CollegesRef methodology for how college data is checked, or browse all data stories.
Sources
- Data
- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports these figures from the IPEDS surveys and federal student aid records; Carnegie classes from IPEDS.
- Edition
- 2026–27, data verified Nov 2026
- Source data
- Latest College Scorecard release
- Last updated
- November 15, 2026
- Next check
- November 16, 2026. The figures are recomputed weekly and change only when the federal data does.
- License
- Federal data is a U.S. government work in the public domain. CollegesRef's tables, charts and CSV are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page.
- Downloads
- CSVMarkdown (for AI tools)
Frequently asked questions
Short answers about how the numbers work.
How is this list ranked?
CollegesRef keeps public four-year universities that graduate at least 50% of students and charge out-of-state tuition and fees of at least $2,000 a year (lower figures are service academies and work colleges), and ranks them by out-of-state tuition and fees, lowest first. 317 colleges qualify; the top 50 are shown and the CSV holds the same rows.
Which college ranks first?
Wayne State College-Nebraska (Nebraska, public), with out-of-state tuition and fees of $8,420. The median qualifying college reports $24,829.
Where does the data come from?
The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (latest data), which reports IPEDS cost and graduation figures and federal earnings and debt records. CollegesRef recomputes the list weekly from the latest snapshot.
How to cite
Credit CollegesRef and link to this story; the CSV above carries every figure on this page. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a visible link to this page. Questions go to Data and press.
Related guides and tools
Step-by-step explanations of the figures, written from the same federal data.