Skip to headerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
Get our Free E-newslettersGet our Free E-newsletters
Kiplinger logoLink to homepage
Get our Free E-newslettersGet our Free E-newsletters
Subscribe to Kiplinger
Subscribe to Kiplinger
Save up to 76%
Subscribe
Subscribe to Kiplinger
  • Store
  • Home
  • Investing
  • Retirement
  • Taxes
  • Personal Finance
  • Your Business
  • Wealth Creation
    • Podcasts
    • Economic Outlooks
    • Tools
    • Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine
    • The Kiplinger Letter
    • The Kiplinger Tax Letter
    • Kiplinger's Investing for Income
    • Kiplinger's Retirement Report
    • Store
    • Manage My E-Newsletters
    • My Subscriptions
Skip advert
  • Home
  • College Rankings
College Rankings

10 Best Values in Private Universities, 2014

by: Marc A. Wojno
March 3, 2014

Thinkstock

Skip advert

These top ten universities represent not only some of the most renowned institutions in the world but also our definition of value, thanks to their high-quality academics and generous financial aid.

All offer need-based aid that brings the price of admission, on average, to less than half the sticker price; three of the schools also award generous merit aid.

Unlike liberal arts colleges, which focus on undergraduate education, these and other universities offer a range of degrees, such as MAs, PhDs and JDs.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

1 of 11

1. Yale University

Yale University

Thinkstock

Skip advert
  • Location: New Haven, Conn.
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 5,405
  • Total annual cost: $58,550
  • Average annual need-based aid: $43,115
  • Average net cost: $15,435

Yale takes top honors in our list, thanks to its outstanding quality and lavish need-based financial aid. Yale's 7% admission rate is one of the most competitive in the country. Its $20.8 billion endowment allows the school to meet 100% of need for all students who qualify, at an average of about $43,000. The campus provides a variety of classic architecture, in styles ranging from Victorian Gothic and Moorish Revival to modern-day designs by Louis Kahn and Cesar Pelli. And Yale continues to expand. A $250 million gift in September will help add two new residential colleges to its current list of 12 and will enable the school to boost its enrollment by 15%.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

2 of 11

2. Princeton University

Skip advert
  • Location: Princeton, N.J.
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 5,336
  • Total annual cost: $56,395
  • Average annual need-based aid: $35,664
  • Average net cost: $20,731

This 267-year-old institution, the fourth-oldest in the country, is also one of the most competitive, with an admission rate of 8%. Its academic credentials include a six-to-one student-faculty ratio, a highly accomplished faculty and a brainiac student body (80% of incoming freshmen score 700 or more on their math SAT, and 76% score 700 or more on the verbal portion). Thanks to Princeton’s no-loan financial-aid policy -- the first in the country -- students at this Ivy League school keep borrowing to a minimum. The average debt at graduation ($5,096) among those who do borrow is the lowest among our top 100 private universities and top 100 liberal arts colleges.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

3 of 11

3. Rice University

Skip advert
  • Location: Houston, Tex.
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 3,848
  • Total annual cost: $52,741
  • Average annual need-based aid: $31,820
  • Average net cost: $20,921

Rice’s sticker price continues to be the lowest among our top 20 private universities, and its need-based aid reduces the cost for students who qualify to less than $21,000. Unlike many top-tier institutions, Rice also awards merit aid to a significant percentage of students, at an average of $12,000. Students here benefit from Rice's six-to-one student-faculty ratio, among the lowest for both liberal arts colleges and private universities. Students clearly enjoy their experience at Rice: 96% of freshmen return for sophomore year.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

4 of 11

4. Harvard University

Harvard in the spring

Thinkstock

Skip advert
  • Location: Cambridge, Mass.
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 6,658
  • Total annual cost: $57,497
  • Average annual need-based aid: $40,950
  • Average net cost: $16,547

The oldest institution of higher education in the country, Harvard maintains its reputation as the most competitive on our list, with an admission rate of 6% and a yield -- the number of students who attend out of those admitted -- of 80%, besting that of its Ivy League peers. Harvard's financial aid (totaling $182 million) is awarded to 63% of its students.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

5 of 11

5. Duke University

Skip advert
  • Location: Durham, N.C.
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 6,655
  • Total annual cost: $59,578
  • Average annual need-based aid: $37,507
  • Average net cost: $22,071

This famed research university, located on nearly 9,000 acres in Durham, N.C., is conveniently situated near the renowned Research Triangle Park, where students get practical knowledge in the fields of medicine, engineering and environmental studies. Duke’s academic standards are stellar, and its financial aid is generous: After need-based aid, the average price drops 63%, to $22,071. The seven-to-one student-faculty ratio means students have plenty of opportunity to interact with professors, who are also top researchers in their fields.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

6 of 11

6. Columbia University

Columbia University Library

Thinkstock

Skip advert
  • Location: New York, N.Y.
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 6,068
  • Total annual cost: $62,807
  • Average annual need-based aid: $41,207
  • Average net cost: $21,600

This Ivy League institution, located in Manhattan's Morningside Heights, has the highest graduation rates on our top ten list (91% graduate in four years, and 95% graduate in five years). It’s also the most expensive. But its need-based financial aid allows students who qualify to get a top-notch education at about one-third of the sticker price, on average. Virtually all freshman students return for their sophomore year. Columbia also makes the grade for having strong academic support (the student-faculty ratio is six-to-one) and a competitive admission rate of 7%.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

7 of 11

7. Stanford University

Skip advert
  • Location: Stanford, Cal.
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 7,063
  • Total annual cost: $57,911
  • Average annual need-based aid: $39,897
  • Average net cost: $18,014

Situated between San Jose and San Francisco in Silicon Valley, Stanford has established itself as a top research university with a strong entrepreneurial culture. It’s one of the most competitive on our top ten list (along with Yale, Harvard and Columbia), with an admit rate of 7%. The low student-faculty ratio (five-to-one) ensures that students get personalized instruction from its faculty, and 98% of freshmen return for sophomore year.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

8 of 11

8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Boston MIT campus

Thinkstock

Skip advert
  • Location: Cambridge, Mass.
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 4,503
  • Total annual cost: $57,242
  • Average annual need-based aid: $35,993
  • Average net cost: $21,249

With 14 Nobel laureates, 22 MacArthur Fellows and four Pulitzer Prize winners currently among the faculty, MIT is world-renowned as the training ground for the scientific elite. As you would expect, 94% of incoming freshmen scored 700 or higher on the math SAT, and the admit rate is a competitive 9% (the lower the number, the better). MIT’s mascot is the beaver (as is Caltech’s), regarded as nature’s engineer, and students at both schools stay as busy as one.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

9 of 11

9. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Skip advert
  • Location: Pasadena, Cal.
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 997
  • Total annual cost: $55,368
  • Average annual need-based aid: $34,831
  • Average net cost: $20,537

Recognized for its top-flight astrophysics and engineering programs (it operates NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory), this preeminent tech school makes our top ten for its smart student body (99% of incoming freshmen scored 700 or higher on their math SAT), its three-to-one student-faculty ratio and its low student debt on graduation ($15,090 among students who borrow). Known for its accomplished faculty, which includes 32 Nobel laureates, Caltech is less known for its role as a certified olive-oil distributor. The school has hosted olive festivals each fall since 2007, collecting as much as 2,600 pounds of olives from the trees lining Olive Walk.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

10 of 11

10. University of Pennsylvania

Skip advert
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 9,682
  • Total annual cost: $60,002
  • Average annual need-based aid: $36,048
  • Average net cost: $23,954

Inspired by founder Benjamin Franklin’s words -- “an inclination…to serve mankind” -- this Ivy League institution has received national recognition for being a leader in encouraging its students to participate in community service. Strong academics, including a student-faculty ratio of six-to-one, and hefty need-based financial aid give students two good reasons to stick around: 98% of freshmen return for their sophomore year.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

11 of 11

More From Kiplinger

College Class

Thinkstock

Skip advert

TOOL: Find the Best College for You

SLIDE SHOW: 10 Best Values in Liberal Arts Colleges, 2014

Best Values in Private Colleges, 2014

TOOL: Compare All Top 200 Private Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges

SPECIAL REPORT: College Rankings, 2014

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert
  • college
  • College Rankings
Share via EmailShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

Recommended

More to Get Student Loan Forgiveness
Paying for College

More to Get Student Loan Forgiveness

On the heels of another extension of the repayment moratorium, the Biden administration takes another step to expand debt relief.
April 20, 2022
How to Split $250,000 in Student Loans in a Divorce
Paying for College

How to Split $250,000 in Student Loans in a Divorce

Before you just sell the house and write a check to pay off your Parent PLUS loans, look at all your options. One could potentially save you a couple …
April 7, 2022
Uncoupling, Kids and Paying for College
Divorce

Uncoupling, Kids and Paying for College

Don’t let your divorce derail your child’s higher education. Follow these suggestions to negotiate a fair plan for you and your ex to work together to…
March 9, 2022
Biden Extends Suspension of Student Loan Payments
loans

Biden Extends Suspension of Student Loan Payments

The president gave borrowers another 90 days until May 1 before they have to start paying back their student loans.
December 22, 2021

Most Popular

Retirement Income Shouldn’t Depend on the Market; It Should Depend on Math
retirement planning

Retirement Income Shouldn’t Depend on the Market; It Should Depend on Math

The math isn’t as tough as you might think. It all starts with dividing your assets into three different buckets.
May 23, 2022
Your Guide to Roth Conversions
Special Report
Tax Breaks

Your Guide to Roth Conversions

A Kiplinger Special Report
February 25, 2021
Why Are Gas Prices Still Going Up?
spending

Why Are Gas Prices Still Going Up?

The cost of a gallon of gas is heading back toward its March highs. What’s driving the resurgence, and will gas prices go down anytime soon?
May 23, 2022
  • Customer Service
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us (PDF)
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Kiplinger Careers
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Preferences

Subscribe to Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Be a smarter, better informed investor.
Save up to 76%Subscribe to Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Do Not Sell My Information

Kiplinger is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site www.futureplc.com
© Future US LLC, 10th floor, 1100 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. All rights reserved.

Follow us on InstagramFollow us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterConnect on LinkedInConnect on YouTube