College Rankings

Top Ten Values in Private Universities 2010-11

This year’s best 100 private universities disprove the notion that a great private-school education is unaffordable.

by: Kiplinger Team

January 1, 2012

This year’s best 100 private universities disprove the notion that a great private-school education is unaffordable. In fact, the net average price -- the amount families pay after financial aid is applied -- is a relatively reasonable $22,000 a year, and some of the best institutions in the country, and on our list, offer a net price below $20,000. Here are our top ten picks for best values in private universities. The slide show begins with the navigation bar to the right.

By Jane Bennett Clark

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Princeton University

Location: Princeton, N.J. Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,113 Admission Rate: 10% SAT: 96% scored 600 or higher on verbal/98% scored 600 or higher on math Student/Faculty Ratio: 6 Graduation Rate 4-yr./5-yr.: 90%/95% Total Cost: $49,780 Total Cost After Average Financial Aid: $14,754 Average Debt at Graduation: $4,957 The first university to eliminate loans from its financial aid package, Princeton gets its graduates out the door with the lowest average debt of any institution in our rankings. It is the only Ivy League school with a sticker price that falls below $50,000.

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Yale University

Location: New Haven, Conn. Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,275 Admission Rate: 8% SAT (V/M) or ACT: 97%/98% Student/Faculty Ratio: 6 Graduation Rate 4-yr./5-yr.: 90%/97% Total Cost: $50,800 Total Cost After Average Financial Aid: $11,530 Average Debt at Graduation: $10,717 Yale’s average need-based financial aid is the most generous among our 50 top-ranked universities. Its generous financial aid policy cuts the average cost of attendance by half and excludes loans from the equation.

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California Institute of Technology

Caltech

Location: Pasadena, Cal. Undergraduate Enrollment: 951 Admission Rate: 15% SAT (V/M) or ACT: 98%/100% Student/Faculty Ratio: 3 Graduation Rate 4-yr./5-yr.: 81%/87% Total Cost: $49,002 Total Cost After Average Financial Aid: $15,100 Average Debt at Graduation: $8,218 Set in picturesque Pasadena, Caltech boasts brainy students (almost all the incoming freshmen score more than 600 on their SATs) and the lowest student-to-faculty ratio on both our lists. Its financial aid keeps the average student debt low.

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Rice University

Location: Houston, Tex. Undergraduate Enrollment: 3,319 Admission Rate: 22% SAT (V/M) or ACT: 88%/93% Student/Faculty Ratio: 5 Graduation Rate 4-yr./5-yr.: 83%/92% Total Cost: $46,321 Total Cost After Average Financial Aid: $21,340 Average Debt at Graduation: $16,716 With the lowest sticker price of our top-25-ranked universities, along with generous need-based and merit-based aid, Rice lives up to its reputation for affordability. It boasts a student-to-faculty ratio of five to one, second only to Caltech.

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Duke University

Location: Durham, N.C. Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,578 Admission Rate: 19% SAT (V/M) or ACT: 92%/95% Student/Faculty Ratio: 8 Graduation Rate 4-yr./5-yr.: 83%/92% Total Cost: $53,157 Total Cost After Average Financial Aid: $16,581 Average Debt at Graduation: $23,059 Duke meets the full need of all students, provides a strong need-based aid award and offers substantial merit scholarships. Its Durham location is part of the renowned Research Triangle.

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Harvard University

Cambridge, Mass. Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,655 Admission Rate: 7% SAT (V/M) or ACT: 100%/100% Student/Faculty Ratio: 7 Graduation Rate 4-yr./5-yr.: 89%/96% Total Cost: $53,227 Total Cost After Average Financial Aid: $12,993 Average Debt at Graduation: $10,871 The most competitive institution on both our lists, Harvard draws top students: 100% of incoming freshmen score 600 or higher on their math and verbal SATs. Harvard’s average need-based aid package is second-highest among our top 50 universities.

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University of Pennsylvania

Location: Philadelphia, Pa. Undergraduate Enrollment: 9,768 Admission Rate: 18% SAT (V/M) or ACT: 94%/98% Student/Faculty Ratio: 6 Graduation Rate 4-yr./5-yr.: 88%/94% Total Cost: $53,064 Total Cost After Average Financial Aid: $20,004 Average Debt at Graduation: $17,787 An Ivy League institution with an urban campus, U-Penn. offers need-based financial aid to families earning as much as $190,000. Like most of its elite counterparts, Penn has replaced loans with grants in its financial aid awards.

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Columbia University

Andrew Chen

Location: New York, N.Y. Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,766 Admission Rate: 10% SAT (V/M) or ACT: 97%/98% Student/Faculty Ratio: 6 Graduation Rate 4-yr./5-yr.: 88%/94% Total Cost: $57,192 Total Cost After Average Financial Aid: $19,702 Average Debt at Graduation: $11,564 One of the country’s oldest institutions of higher education, this highly selective university offers a low student-to-faculty ratio and enables students to graduate with a low average debt.

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Brown University

Admission Rate: 11% SAT (V/M) or ACT: 90%/93% Student/Faculty Ratio: 9 Graduation Rate 4-yr./5-yr.: 86%/94% Total Cost: $52,670 Total Cost After Average Financial Aid: $18,084 Average Debt at Graduation: $21,858 Brown offers substantial merit scholarships to a few students, but most of its financial aid resources go to funding generous need-based aid. Students here design their own fields of study.

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Dartmouth University

Location: Hanover, N.H. Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,196 Admission Rate: 13% SAT (V/M) or ACT: 93%/93% Student/Faculty Ratio: 8 Graduation Rate 4-yr./5-yr.: 85%/93% Total Cost: $54,175 Total Cost After Average Financial Aid: $15,726 Average Debt at Graduation: $19,081 The smallest of the Ivies, Dartmouth combines a glorious mountain-view setting with top academics and a strong need-based aid package. Two-thirds of Dartmouth’s students study abroad.