Tool | October 2012

Kiplinger's Best Values in Private Colleges

Compare the 200 top values in liberal-arts colleges or private universities, or create your own custom lists of colleges from our rankings or schools from a particular state. Use the arrows at the top of any column of data to rank any list of colleges by cost and financial-aid measures. For more information on a particular college, click the college's name.

(Note: Since the publication of our annual rankings of the best values in liberal-arts colleges, Bucknell University has acknowledged misreporting test scores for its students. As a result, Kiplinger’s has removed the school from this year’s rankings.)

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How We Ranked the Top Private College Values
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Guide to the Tables

Rank	Name	State	Admit rate	Student per faculty	4-yr grad. rate	Total cost per yr.	Avg need- based aid	Avg non-need- based aid	% of non-need- based aid*	Avg debt at graduation
1	Yale University, New Haven	CT	8%	5	88.8%	$52,700	$38,914	$0	0%	$9,254
2	Rice University, Houston	TX	19	6	79.1	50,692	31,252	15,962	32	16,528
3	Princeton University, Princeton	NJ	8	6	87.1	54,425	35,665	0	0	5,330
4	Duke University, Durham	NC	14	7	88.5	56,056	36,877	24,323	11	21,713
5	California Institute of Technology, Pasadena	CA	13	3	76.4	52,995	32,358	36,626	2†	13,442
6	Harvard University, Cambridge	MA	6	7	86.8	55,496	42,229	0	0	11,780
7	Columbia University, New York	NY	7	6	89.4	60,298	39,075	0	0	NA
8	Stanford University, Stanford	CA	7	5	78.9	56,008	39,105	5,701	15	16,458
9	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge	MA	10	8	85.1	55,238	35,289	0	0	18,127
10	University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia	PA	12	6	87.1	57,316	34,655	0	0	17,891
11	University of Richmond, University of Richmond	VA	33	8	76.6	55,020	36,151	23,075	28	22,915
12	Brown University, Providence	RI	9	9	83.2	56,376	35,401	10,946	0†	20,455
13	Vanderbilt University, Nashville	TN	16	8	86.5	57,306	37,478	23,533	18	18,543
14	University of Chicago, Chicago	IL	16	6	86.4	59,020	36,600	11,955	22	22,663
15	Emory University, Atlanta	GA	27	7	82.8	56,080	33,323	21,821	12	28,076
16	Dartmouth College, Hanover	NH	10	8	88	59,976	38,040	0	0	17,119
17	Georgetown University, Washington	DC	18	11	90.1	57,282	30,715	NA	18	25,315
18	Cornell University, Ithaca	NY	18	9	86.7	57,911	33,961	0	0	19,180
19	Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis	MO	17	7	86.1	58,385	30,317	6,720	20	NA
20	Northwestern University, Evanston	IL	26	7	86.4	56,560	26,817	2,521	8	20,802
21	Tufts University, Medford	MA	22	9	85	57,346	30,711	500	3	24,468
22	Elon University, Elon	NC	58	13	77.5	39,360	13,212	5,545	49	27,417
23	The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore	MD	18	13	85.4	58,520	31,409	28,643	2	25,266
24	Boston College, Chestnut Hill	MA	28	14	86.9	57,486	28,687	15,922	3	20,975
25	Lehigh University, Bethlehem	PA	33	10	78.2	54,450	30,479	10,409	10	29,668
26	Brandeis University, Waltham	MA	40	10	87.6	57,550	30,311	24,290	15	28,590
27	Drake University, Des Moines	IA	63	12	68.9	38,852	14,753	11,568	69	32,604
28	University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame	IN	24	11	90.5	55,855	28,324	8,799	8	30,225
29	Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem	NC	40	11	82.4	55,960	28,513	15,186	17	35,070
30	Trinity University, San Antonio	TX	61	9	69	45,274	20,900	13,597	70	NA
31	Gonzaga University, Spokane	WA	62	11	69.3	43,412	17,704	11,412	82	23,522
32	University of Southern California, Los Angeles	CA	23	9	73.2	58,553	28,377	19,161	27	30,217
33	Santa Clara University, Santa Clara	CA	54	13	76.6	54,504	19,975	11,732	46	27,121
34	Brigham Young University, Provo	UT	63	21	30.8	17,552	5,333	3,398	41	14,320
35	Villanova University, Villanova	PA	44	11	87.5	55,060	24,340	11,076	12	38,055
36	University of Rochester, Rochester	NY	34	10	73.1	57,574	29,699	11,432	45	28,100
37	University of Miami, Coral Gables	FL	38	11	65.5	54,002	23,200	21,445	29	26,297
38	Whitworth University, Spokane	WA	48	11	68.3	44,498	18,626	12,333	73	23,983
39	Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City	OK	74	11	71.1	38,860	10,733	18,824	53	18,615
40	Clark University, Worcester	MA	68	10	75.9	46,570	24,810	14,305	70	27,600
41	University of Denver, Denver	CO	68	8	60.5	51,795	24,182	13,437	54	26,628
42	Creighton University, Omaha	NE	78	12	65.9	43,976	20,850	13,561	63	33,901
43	Bentley University, Waltham	MA	43	14	81.5	53,738	23,188	15,050	27	33,066
44	Emerson College, Boston	MA	48	13	76.9	49,156	15,443	12,686	13	19,491
45	Boston University, Boston	MA	49	13	80.2	57,184	24,261	21,203	48	36,488
46	Marquette University, Milwaukee	WI	57	15	61	44,624	15,550	8,998	72	35,204
47	Pepperdine University, Malibu	CA	32	13	69.7	56,872	38,389	18,672	25	32,238
48	Baylor University, Waco	TX	40	14	51.9	44,176	16,935	11,085	70	NA
49	The George Washington University, Washington	DC	33	14	75.6	57,585	27,270	15,510	22	32,714
50	Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh	PA	30	12	71	58,230	25,377	11,552	13	29,303
51	Tulane University, New Orleans	LA	25	11	58.5‡	55,484	25,824	21,443	36	31,172
52	Northeastern University, Boston	MA	35	13	NA	54,706	16,760	10,483	48	NA
53	Drury University, Springfield	MO	73	12	53.8	30,509	6,990	4,735	100	20,500
54	Yeshiva University, New York	NY	70	6	45.4	48,474	25,303	19,708	25	22,113
55	Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland	OH	51	9	60.4	54,526	25,093	19,559	47	39,886
56	Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester	MA	57	14	64.5	55,030	18,713	15,960	66	NA
57	University of Portland, Portland	OR	65	13	66.9	48,698	19,753	13,068	73	26,957
58	Rockhurst University, Kansas City	MO	76	12	65.1	39,300	8,127	13,899	16	21,085
59	American University, Washington	DC	42	12	73.8	54,219	17,893	17,486	29	37,674
60	Saint Michael's College, Colchester	VT	78	12	76.7	48,060	18,270	10,546	77	31,736
61	Fordham University, New York	NY	42	14	73.9	58,406	18,532	12,104	40	NA
62	Marist College, Poughkeepsie	NY	34	15	68.5	44,440	13,352	7,308	42	32,507
63	Samford University, Birmingham	AL	83	12	51.2	34,400	12,933	8,075	51	24,405
64	Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore	MD	63	13	79.2	55,129	19,150	15,085	19	31,655
65	Ithaca College, Ithaca	NY	68	12	66.5	51,805	19,988	10,086	61	NA
66	New York University, New York	NY	33	11	79	60,407	18,703	7,253	11	36,351
67	Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago	IL	64	11	34.2	49,545	24,381	16,867	76	NA
68	Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester	NY	59	12	29.8	43,500	17,000	9,000	22	NA
69	Southern Methodist University, Dallas	TX	55	11	60.1	56,089	17,794	17,121	49	26,297
70	Xavier University, Cincinnati	OH	70	12	68.5	43,500	14,624	12,285	61	29,575
71	Providence College, Providence	RI	61	12	81.5	55,546	19,845	23,510	18	30,310
72	Union University, Jackson	TN	77	12	49.6	35,280	5,961	9,971	27	23,070
73	Butler University, Indianapolis	IN	61	11	52.1	45,248	17,705	11,231	72	36,925
74	Loyola University Chicago, Chicago	IL	55	15	50.6	48,148	17,878	9,260	48	NA
75	Valparaiso University, Valparaiso	IN	74	12	62.6	42,614	19,010	10,080	63	33,104
76	Saint Louis University, St. Louis	MO	61	12	60.9	46,378	18,010	10,939	44	36,601
77	University of St. Thomas, St. Paul	MN	84	15	61.3	42,517	16,260	12,933	23	31,073
78	Rollins College, Winter Park	FL	54	10	61.3	53,276	29,097	17,031	39	22,719
79	Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles	CA	53	11	66.9	53,990	19,117	10,415	34	31,246
80	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy	NY	40	15	60.3	59,470	23,722	12,945	82	29,625
81	Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia	PA	78	13	70.6	51,630	15,569	10,425	64	NA
82	University of Tulsa, Tulsa	OK	41	11	51.4	43,854	6,372	15,158	61	36,470
83	Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville	OH	76	15	61.7	30,780	8,931	4,435	48	29,354
84	University of San Diego, San Diego	CA	48	16	64.2	53,545	22,838	13,359	27	31,937
85	Maryville University of Saint Louis, St. Louis	MO	67	12	56.5	34,588	12,745	8,770	14	26,669
86	Bradley University, Peoria	IL	70	12	52.7	38,164	12,988	6,718	74	24,143
87	Seattle Pacific University, Seattle	WA	80	14	59.7	42,558	21,746	16,616	64	26,829
88	Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport	LA	63	11	45.5	40,020	18,692	11,565	87	21,900
89	Nazareth College of Rochester, Rochester	NY	70	11	67.2	41,338	13,921	15,652	53	32,957
90	Syracuse University, Syracuse	NY	49	16	69.7	54,038	23,580	8,940	22	32,663
91	University of Dayton, Dayton	OH	76	15	58.3	44,750	15,608	10,828	70	36,331
92	John Carroll University, University Heights	OH	84	13	64.1	43,790	19,554	10,222	69	28,691
93	St. John Fisher College, Rochester	NY	66	11	65.6	37,670	14,011	8,959	69	36,602
94	University of the Pacific, Stockton	CA	36	13	45.6	53,014	22,125	9,713	37	NA
95	Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester	NY	51	11	63.9	36,963	13,405	6,422	69	34,865
96	Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego	CA	52	13	61.9	39,084	14,864	7,289	41	32,715
97	Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans	LA	65	11	45.2‡	47,781	20,506	15,091	70	12,597
98	Simmons College, Boston	MA	47	11	62.6	48,770	17,758	8,490	51	NA
99	The Catholic University of America, Washington	DC	75	9	61.3	52,494	17,747	12,881	59	NA
100	Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion	IN	67	14	56.1	31,964	12,953	4,967	52	28,793

NA - Not available.
* Percentage of all undergraduates without need who received non-need-based aid.
† - Fewer than ten students who received non-need-based aid.
‡ - Due to hurricane Katrina we used 2004 cohort data.
SOURCE - Peterson's Undergraduate Database. © 2012 Peterson's/Nelnet LLC. All rights reserved.