Private colleges that cost less than state schools after aid
Private nonprofit colleges whose average price after grants is lower than the typical public college in the same state, ranked by how much lower.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard and IPEDS, latest data · 28 colleges · Last updated November 15, 2026 · Next check November 16, 2026
Ranked first
$8,567
Princeton University (New Jersey), net price below the state's public-college median.
College Scorecard, latest data
Key findings
- Median qualifying college
- $2,274
- Net price below the state's public-college median.
- Colleges that qualify
- 28
- The top 28 are listed below.
- States
- 17
- 0 public and 28 private nonprofit colleges.
28 four-year colleges in 17 states meet every criterion on this page.
Princeton University (New Jersey) ranks first, with a net price $8,567 below its state's public-college median.
The median qualifying college has a net price $2,274 below its state's public-college median.
College by college
The ranking
Ranked by net price below the state's public-college median, highest first. Select a column heading to sort.
| Princeton UniversityNew Jersey · Private nonprofit | 1 | $7,815 | $16,382 | $8,567 | 97% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Peter's UniversityNew Jersey · Private nonprofit | 2 | $8,127 | $16,382 | $8,255 | 55% |
| Yale UniversityConnecticut · Private nonprofit | 3 | $11,340 | $18,628 | $7,288 | 96% |
| Heritage University-WashingtonWashington · Private nonprofit | 4 | $10,747 | $17,833 | $7,086 | 57% |
| Berea CollegeKentucky · Private nonprofit | 5 | $5,836 | $12,160 | $6,324 | 66% |
| Holy Family University-PennsylvaniaPennsylvania · Private nonprofit | 6 | $12,882 | $18,328 | $5,446 | 67% |
| Southeastern Baptist Theological SeminaryNorth Carolina · Private nonprofit | 7 | $8,500 | $13,025 | $4,525 | 50% |
| California Institute of Technology CalTechCalifornia · Private nonprofit | 8 | $8,509 | $11,583 | $3,074 | 90% |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional StudiesMissouri · Private nonprofit | 9 | $12,743 | $15,554 | $2,811 | 51% |
| Bob Jones UniversitySouth Carolina · Private nonprofit | 10 | $14,632 | $17,345 | $2,713 | 71% |
| Rice UniversityTexas · Private nonprofit | 11 | $11,164 | $13,638 | $2,474 | 95% |
| Saint Xavier UniversityIllinois · Private nonprofit | 12 | $10,171 | $12,636 | $2,465 | 55% |
| College of the OzarksMissouri · Private nonprofit | 13 | $13,114 | $15,554 | $2,440 | 63% |
| Western Governors UniversityUtah · Private nonprofit | 14 | $12,748 | $15,101 | $2,353 | 50% |
| Washington University in St Louis WUSTLMissouri · Private nonprofit | 15 | $13,360 | $15,554 | $2,194 | 93% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology MITMassachusetts · Private nonprofit | 16 | $14,815 | $16,923 | $2,108 | 96% |
| Williams CollegeMassachusetts · Private nonprofit | 17 | $15,157 | $16,923 | $1,766 | 95% |
| Brigham Young University-Provo BYU UtahUtah · Private nonprofit | 18 | $13,397 | $15,101 | $1,704 | 81% |
| Southern Wesleyan UniversitySouth Carolina · Private nonprofit | 19 | $16,041 | $17,345 | $1,304 | 52% |
| Caldwell UniversityNew Jersey · Private nonprofit | 20 | $15,180 | $16,382 | $1,202 | 57% |
| Concordia University-Saint PaulMinnesota · Private nonprofit | 21 | $16,222 | $17,330 | $1,108 | 50% |
| Malone UniversityOhio · Private nonprofit | 22 | $12,621 | $13,715 | $1,094 | 56% |
| Southwestern Adventist UniversityTexas · Private nonprofit | 23 | $12,685 | $13,638 | $953 | 50% |
| Swarthmore CollegePennsylvania · Private nonprofit | 24 | $17,392 | $18,328 | $936 | 92% |
| Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNew York · Private nonprofit | 25 | $12,999 | $13,854 | $855 | 82% |
| William Carey UniversityMississippi · Private nonprofit | 26 | $13,507 | $14,272 | $765 | 57% |
| College of Our Lady of the ElmsMassachusetts · Private nonprofit | 27 | $16,237 | $16,923 | $686 | 63% |
| Hallmark UniversityTexas · Private nonprofit | 28 | $13,495 | $13,638 | $143 | 65% |
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 private nonprofit four-year colleges that graduate at least 50% of students and whose average net price is below the median average net price of the four-year public colleges in their state, then ranks them by net price below the state's public-college median. 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 private nonprofit four-year colleges that graduate at least 50% of students and whose average net price is below the median average net price of the four-year public colleges in their state, and ranks them by net price below the state's public-college median, highest first. 28 colleges qualify; the top 28 are shown and the CSV holds the same rows.
Which college ranks first?
Princeton University (New Jersey, private nonprofit), with net price below the state's public-college median of $8,567. The median qualifying college reports $2,274.
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.