College and University Blog
Top Private Colleges: Get the Best Value for Your Money
Paying for a quality college education is a top priority for many students and their families, especially since most families’ salaries aren’t increasing as quickly as the price of college tuition. According to the College Board, the average cost of one year at a private four-year college is roughly $36,000. One decade ago, that yearly figure was approximately $21,000.
Don’t Let Sticker Shock Get in the Way of Education
The financial advice experts at Kiplinger’s claim that a school’s net average price— the amount that families actually pay after financial aid is applied— is what’s really important. The sticker price of a college or university’s tuition isn’t necessarily what you’ll need to pay out of pocket to attend the school.
Kiplinger’s has examined the nation’s private colleges and universities, factoring admission rates, student-faculty ratios, on-time graduation rate, sticker price and financial aid to come up with the 2010-11 edition of Kiplinger’s Best Values in Private Colleges, which was released online this week.
Describing the list as “the top schools that provide high-quality education at an affordable price,” Kiplinger’s ranking systems “measure academic quality and affordability, with quality accounting for two-thirds of the total.”
Two hundred schools are separated into the top 100 private universities and the top 100 liberal arts colleges. You can learn more about Kiplinger’s Best Values in Private Colleges below.
Kiplinger’s Top 10 Best Values in Private Universities, 2010-11
1. Princeton, Princeton, NJ
Total cost per year: $49,055
Average need-based aid: $33,428
No non-need based aid given
Average student debt at graduation: $4,957
2. Yale, New Haven, CT
Total cost per year: $50,800
Average need-based aid: $37,639
Average non-need-based aid given
Average student debt at graduation: $10,717
3. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
Total cost per year: $49,002
Average need-based aid: $30,069
Average non-need based aid: $34,967
Average student debt at graduation: $8,218
4. Rice, Houston, TX
Total cost per year: $46,321
Average need-based aid: $24,104
Average non-need based aid: $14,665
Average student debt at graduation: $16,716
5. Duke, Durham, NC
Total cost per year: $53,157
Average need-based aid: $33,810
Average non-need based aid: $23,185
Average student debt at graduation: $23,059
6. Harvard, Cambridge, MA
Total cost per year: $53,227
Average need-based aid: $37,620
No non-need based aid given
Average student debt at graduation: $10,871
7. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Total cost per year: $53,064
Average need-based aid: $30,043
No non-need based aid given
Average student debt at graduation: $17,787
8. Columbia, New York, NY
Total cost per year: $57,192
Average need-based aid: $35,705
No non-need based aid given
Average student debt at graduation: $11,564
9. Brown, Providence, RI
Total cost per year: $52,670
Average need-based aid: $31,474
Average non-need based aid: $14,000
Average student debt at graduation: $21,858
10. Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Total cost per year: $54,175
Average need-based aid: $35,209
Average non-need based aid: $450
Average student debt at graduation: $19,081
Kiplinger’s Top 10 Best Values in Liberal Arts Colleges, 2010-11
1. Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
Total cost per year: $52,650
Average need-based aid: $33,859
Average non-need based aid: $37,510
Average student debt at graduation: $15,737
2. Pomona College, Claremont, CA
Total cost per year: $52,723
Average need-based aid: $34,461
No non-need-based aid given
Average student debt at graduation: $11,700
3. Williams College, Williamstown, MA
Total cost per year: $53,140
Average need-based aid: $34,269
No non-need based aid given
Average student debt at graduation: $7,960
4. Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA
Total cost per year: $52,330
Average need-based aid: $31,111
Average non-need based aid: $27,499
Average student debt at graduation: $23,615
5. Davidson College, Davidson, NC
Total cost per year: $48,029
Average need-based aid: $21,962
Average non-need based aid: $17,182
Average student debt at graduation: $20,858
6. Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
Total cost per year: $53,680
Average need-based aid: $33,832
Average non-need based aid: $1,000
Average student debt at graduation: $18,382
7. Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA
Total cost per year: $53,625
Average need-based aid: $34,276
Average non-need based aid: 12,591
Average student debt at graduation: $9,259
8. Amherst College, Amherst, MA
Total cost per year: $52,522
Average need-based aid: $39,451
No non-need based aid given
Average student debt at graduation: $11,347
9. Hamilton College, Clinton, NY
Total cost per year: $53,060
Average need-based aid: $35,502
Average non-need based aid: 22,205
Average student debt at graduation: $19,466
10. Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
Total cost per year: $53,950
Average need-based aid: $33,155
No non-need based aid given
Average student debt at graduation: $18,876
Melissa Rhone+
Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the University of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.