Cost
These colleges charge the lowest published in-state tuition and fees. 348 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify for this list, and colleges with a missing value for the fields used here are left out rather than guessed. The table below shows the top 20, led by United States Merchant Marine Academy (New York).
Across all 348 qualifying colleges the in-state tuition runs from $895 (United States Merchant Marine Academy) to $72,097 (University of Southern California), with a median of $18,045. For comparison, the median across the 348 colleges in the full dataset that report it is $18,045.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution, May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26). Data fetched 2026-10-14. Open any row for the full college profile.
Of the 348 qualifying colleges, 167 are public and 181 are private nonprofit. Within the table, Puerto Rico appears 11 times, Florida appears 4 times, Georgia appears 4 times. The median out-of-state tuition among the 20 listed colleges that report it is $5,780, against $35,690 for the whole dataset. The median net price among the 20 listed colleges that report it is $9,554, against $19,857 for the whole dataset. 10 of the 20 listed colleges report an SAT range, and the midpoints of those ranges have a median near 1110.
Tuition and fees are the published prices for the 2022-23 academic year. They do not include room and board, books, or the grants that reduce the price for many students.
Each column in the table means the following.
Published prices change every year and these are several years old. Compare current prices on the college's own site.
To see how your own score compares, read what a 1110 SAT or a 22 ACT means for a college list, then check college costs by state for price context.
United States Merchant Marine Academy is first on this list, with in-state tuition of $895. It leads 348 qualifying colleges in the dataset, so check what the number measures before treating it as a recommendation.
348 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify, and the table shows the top 20. Colleges with a missing value are excluded.
No. The list sorts on one number. It does not measure teaching, fit, program strength or what you would pay, so use it to find colleges to look at and then check each profile and the college's own website.
Colleges are drawn from the 354-college dataset built from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26); fetched 2026-10-14). Selection: Four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: every college admitting 55% or fewer applicants, plus the 150 largest by undergraduate enrollment. Colleges that do not report test ranges are included with ranges shown as not reported. Reporting periods for the fields on this page: AcadYr 2021-22; AcadYr 2022-23; Fall 2016 or AcadYr 2016-17 entry cohort, as applicable. Full definitions are on the methodology page, and the numbers are available as an open download.
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