Four-year colleges where families earning under $30,000 pay less than $5,000 a year
How many four-year colleges in each state charge aided students from families earning $0–$30,000 less than $5,000 a year after grants, and which colleges they are.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard and IPEDS, reporting year 2025 · 1,347 colleges · Updated November 15, 2026
At a glance
- Colleges under $5,000
- 79
- Of 1,347 four-year colleges that report this bracket.
- Share
- 5.9%
- Of reporting colleges in the 50 states and D.C.
- Median price, under $30k
- $15,411
- What the median college charges aided students from this bracket a year.
- States with none
- 22
- Of 47 reported states.
College Scorecard, data year 2025
Key findings
Of 1,347 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges that report a net price for families earning $0–$30,000, 79 (6%) charge those families less than $5,000 a year on average after grants. The median college charges them $15,411.
Public colleges make up 55 of the 79 colleges under $5,000; private nonprofit colleges make up 24.
The most colleges under $5,000 are in Florida (12 of 56), New York (10 of 98) and California (9 of 75).
22 reported states have no four-year college under $5,000 for this income group, including Ohio, South Carolina and Washington.
The lowest reported average net price for this group is $28 a year, at Washington and Lee University (VA).
Most colleges under $5,000
Every state
Select a column heading to sort. Colleges counts only those reporting a net price for this bracket.
Four-year colleges under $5,000 a year for families earning under $30,000, by state, 2026–27
Four-year colleges under $5,000 a year for families earning under $30,000
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4–12
- None or not reported
Source: CollegesRef analysis of U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data. Hover or tab to a state for details; select it to open its colleges.
| Florida | 56 | 12 | 21.4% | $12,553 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 98 | 10 | 10.2% | $15,355 |
| California | 75 | 9 | 12% | $16,090 |
| Massachusetts | 53 | 6 | 11.3% | $19,035 |
| Illinois | 46 | 4 | 8.7% | $15,363 |
| New Mexico | 7 | 3 | 42.9% | $6,282 |
| Maryland | 20 | 3 | 15% | $9,448 |
| Minnesota | 31 | 3 | 9.7% | $13,671 |
| Virginia | 38 | 3 | 7.9% | $17,123 |
| North Carolina | 47 | 3 | 6.4% | $17,198 |
| Georgia | 48 | 3 | 6.3% | $13,565 |
| Texas | 72 | 3 | 4.2% | $13,428 |
| Maine | 15 | 2 | 13.3% | $13,222 |
| West Virginia | 16 | 2 | 12.5% | $12,058 |
| Connecticut | 19 | 2 | 10.5% | $18,148 |
| Indiana | 42 | 2 | 4.8% | $14,597 |
| Hawaii | 6 | 1 | 16.7% | $12,942 |
| Idaho | 7 | 1 | 14.3% | $13,022 |
| Rhode Island | 10 | 1 | 10% | $27,300 |
| New Hampshire | 11 | 1 | 9.1% | $18,960 |
| Wisconsin | 31 | 1 | 3.2% | $14,155 |
| Michigan | 35 | 1 | 2.9% | $12,444 |
| Missouri | 35 | 1 | 2.9% | $14,619 |
| Tennessee | 35 | 1 | 2.9% | $16,616 |
| Pennsylvania | 82 | 1 | 1.2% | $18,443 |
| Alabama | 22 | 0 | 0% | $17,173 |
| Arizona | 6 | 0 | 0% | $24,342 |
| Arkansas | 17 | 0 | 0% | $15,497 |
| Colorado | 17 | 0 | 0% | $12,291 |
| District of Columbia | 8 | 0 | 0% | $22,606 |
| Iowa | 24 | 0 | 0% | $19,107 |
| Kansas | 20 | 0 | 0% | $19,879 |
| Kentucky | 22 | 0 | 0% | $14,075 |
| Louisiana | 20 | 0 | 0% | $12,834 |
| Mississippi | 13 | 0 | 0% | $14,602 |
| Montana | 9 | 0 | 0% | $16,920 |
| Nebraska | 13 | 0 | 0% | $15,830 |
| New Jersey | 24 | 0 | 0% | $13,081 |
| North Dakota | 8 | 0 | 0% | $11,704 |
| Ohio | 60 | 0 | 0% | $15,957 |
| Oklahoma | 22 | 0 | 0% | $13,164 |
| Oregon | 16 | 0 | 0% | $16,828 |
| South Carolina | 29 | 0 | 0% | $16,910 |
| South Dakota | 10 | 0 | 0% | $17,375 |
| Utah | 8 | 0 | 0% | $14,086 |
| Vermont | 7 | 0 | 0% | $19,770 |
| Washington | 25 | 0 | 0% | $16,017 |
| All reported colleges | 1,347 | 79 | 5.9% | $15,411 |
Too few colleges to report (fewer than 5): Alaska (3), Delaware (4), Nevada (4), Wyoming (1).
College by college
Every college under $5,000
Lowest average net price first. A college's price for one family depends on its own aid rules: run its net price calculator.
| Washington and Lee UniversityVirginia · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $28 |
|---|---|---|
| Brown UniversityRhode Island · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $39 |
| CUNY York CollegeNew York · Public | Public | $364 |
| University of ChicagoIllinois · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $394 |
| Chipola CollegeFlorida · Public | Public | $599 |
| Farmingdale State CollegeNew York · Public | Public | $649 |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main CampusIllinois · Public | Public | $871 |
| Stanford UniversityCalifornia · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $1,067 |
| University of Maryland-College Park Main CampusMaryland · Public | Public | $1,141 |
| South Florida State CollegeFlorida · Public | Public | $1,154 |
| Yale UniversityConnecticut · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $1,256 |
| University of Minnesota-MorrisMinnesota · Public | Public | $1,259 |
| West Liberty UniversityWest Virginia · Public | Public | $1,272 |
| California State University-Los AngelesCalifornia · Public | Public | $1,364 |
| Dartmouth CollegeNew Hampshire · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $1,399 |
| United States Merchant Marine AcademyNew York · Public | Public | $1,410 |
| Northwestern University-IllinoisIllinois · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $1,427 |
| CUNY New York City College of TechnologyNew York · Public | Public | $1,467 |
| College of Staten Island CUNYNew York · Public | Public | $1,506 |
| Dalton State CollegeGeorgia · Public | Public | $1,524 |
| CUNY Medgar Evers CollegeNew York · Public | Public | $1,642 |
| California State University-StanislausCalifornia · Public | Public | $1,658 |
| Johns Hopkins UniversityMaryland · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $1,772 |
| Bates CollegeMaine · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $1,899 |
| University of FloridaFlorida · Public | Public | $1,968 |
| Indian River State CollegeFlorida · Public | Public | $2,096 |
| California State University-BakersfieldCalifornia · Public | Public | $2,097 |
| Atlanta Metropolitan State CollegeGeorgia · Public | Public | $2,114 |
| Indiana University-KokomoIndiana · Public | Public | $2,200 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main CampusNorth Carolina · Public | Public | $2,212 |
| Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $2,275 |
| Williams CollegeMassachusetts · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $2,291 |
| Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNew York · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $2,325 |
| California State University-San BernardinoCalifornia · Public | Public | $2,331 |
| Pasco-Hernando State CollegeFlorida · Public | Public | $2,377 |
| Indiana University-NorthwestIndiana · Public | Public | $2,395 |
| Amherst CollegeMassachusetts · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $2,424 |
| Smith College-MassachusettsMassachusetts · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $2,541 |
| Harvard UniversityMassachusetts · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $2,542 |
| Washington University in St Louis WUSTLMissouri · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $2,578 |
| California State University-FullertonCalifornia · Public | Public | $2,620 |
| Florida Gateway CollegeFlorida · Public | Public | $3,043 |
| Eastern Florida State CollegeFlorida · Public | Public | $3,147 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main CampusMichigan · Public | Public | $3,155 |
| Brigham Young University-IdahoIdaho · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $3,292 |
| William & MaryVirginia · Public | Public | $3,292 |
| Bowdoin CollegeMaine · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $3,318 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison Main CampusWisconsin · Public | Public | $3,424 |
| Western Illinois UniversityIllinois · Public | Public | $3,427 |
| Florida SouthWestern State CollegeFlorida · Public | Public | $3,551 |
| Wesleyan University-ConnecticutConnecticut · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $3,557 |
| Davidson CollegeNorth Carolina · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $3,629 |
| Vanderbilt UniversityTennessee · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $3,637 |
| Eastern New Mexico University-Main CampusNew Mexico · Public | Public | $3,739 |
| Northwest Florida State CollegeFlorida · Public | Public | $3,763 |
| Seminole State College of FloridaFlorida · Public | Public | $3,818 |
| Northern New Mexico CollegeNew Mexico · Public | Public | $3,923 |
| California State University-FresnoCalifornia · Public | Public | $3,925 |
| The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyTexas · Public | Public | $3,980 |
| Haverford CollegePennsylvania · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $4,081 |
| University of BaltimoreMaryland · Public | Public | $4,177 |
| Tufts UniversityMassachusetts · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $4,195 |
| Florida State University-Main CampusFlorida · Public | Public | $4,332 |
| Massachusetts Maritime AcademyMassachusetts · Public | Public | $4,385 |
| Daytona State CollegeFlorida · Public | Public | $4,395 |
| California State University-Northridge CSUNCalifornia · Public | Public | $4,429 |
| University of Virginia's College at WiseVirginia · Public | Public | $4,478 |
| California State University-East BayCalifornia · Public | Public | $4,576 |
| University of Minnesota-DuluthMinnesota · Public | Public | $4,583 |
| SUNY College at Old WestburyNew York · Public | Public | $4,597 |
| Georgia Highlands CollegeGeorgia · Public | Public | $4,638 |
| Marshall UniversityWest Virginia · Public | Public | $4,709 |
| University of Hawaii-West OahuHawaii · Public | Public | $4,725 |
| CUNY Graduate School and University CenterNew York · Public | Public | $4,766 |
| Southeastern Baptist Theological SeminaryNorth Carolina · Private nonprofit | Private nonprofit | $4,782 |
| The University of Texas of the Permian BasinTexas · Public | Public | $4,785 |
| Texas A&M University-Central TexasTexas · Public | Public | $4,917 |
| University of Minnesota-CrookstonMinnesota · Public | Public | $4,955 |
| New Mexico State University-Main CampusNew Mexico · Public | Public | $4,997 |
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 a net price for the $0–$30,000 bracket reported in the College Scorecard.
- 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.
- Reporting threshold
- A state is reported only when at least 5 colleges qualify; states below it are listed under the table and still count in the national figures.
- Net price
- Average net price for aided first-time, full-time students from families earning $0–$30,000 (College Scorecard NPT41). Public colleges report in-state students. The ceiling is $5,000 a year.
- Share
- Colleges under the ceiling divided by the state's colleges that report this bracket.
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 reporting year
- 2025
- Snapshot
- November 15, 2026
- Licence
- Federal data is a U.S. government work in the public domain. Please credit CollegesRef for this analysis.
- Downloads
- CSVMarkdown (for AI tools)
Frequently asked questions
Short answers about how the numbers work.
What does a net price under $5,000 mean?
It is the average a college's aided first-year students from families earning under $30,000 paid for a year, after grants and scholarships, including housing and other costs. 79 of 1,347 reporting four-year colleges were under $5,000.
Why are some expensive private universities on the list?
Colleges with large grant budgets often cover most of the cost for students from the lowest-income families, so their average net price for this bracket can be lower than at a nearby public college.
Will my family pay this amount?
Not necessarily. It is an average for students who received aid. Your price depends on your family's finances and the college's rules, so use each college's net price calculator.
Related guides and tools
Step-by-step explanations of the figures, written from the same federal data.
Embed this map
Free to use on your site, newsletter or class page. The code includes a visible source line that credits CollegesRef.
It updates when the data does. Preview it at /embed/map/colleges-under-5000-by-state; the map's own Embed button offers sizes and a dark theme. Reporters are welcome to cite the figures with a link to this page; questions go to our contact page.