10 Best Values in Private Colleges Under $20K

A college education -- even at a top private college or university -- doesn\'t have to cost you an arm and a leg.

A college education -- even at a top private college or university -- doesn\'t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Here are ten private schools from Kiplinger\'s 100 Best Values in Private Colleges and Universities where the net price tag per student -- the annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board, and books) to students after financial aid -- is $20,000 a year or less.

Seven of the ten offer a net price that\'s well below the average annual price (about $17,000) of a public in-state education.

These schools share a commitment to making college affordable, but they also represent private education in all its variety. The list includes two Ivy League schools, four with a religious orientation, two with fewer than 600 undergraduates and one that trumps all the others for the remarkable deal it offers every student: free tuition for all four years. Take a look.

Jane Bennett Clark
Senior Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
The late Jane Bennett Clark, who passed away in March 2017, covered all facets of retirement and wrote a bimonthly column that took a fresh, sometimes provocative look at ways to approach life after a career. She also oversaw the annual Kiplinger rankings for best values in public and private colleges and universities and spearheaded the annual "Best Cities" feature. Clark graduated from Northwestern University.