← All rankings
Build my list →
COLLEGE RANKINGS
Most Affordable US Colleges for Out-of-State & International Students
International students pay the out-of-state sticker price, so that's the number that matters. These colleges keep it under $25,000 a year while clearing a graduate-earnings quality bar.
Methodology: Out-of-state tuition below $25,000, median 10-year earnings above $45,000, at least 3,000 undergraduates. Sorted by tuition, lowest first. Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard. Always verify current figures on each school's official site.
| # | College | Location | Out-of-state tuition | Acceptance | Tuition (out-of-state) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez | Mayaguez, Puerto Rico | $5,274 | 56.5% | $5,274 |
| 2 | Brigham Young University | Provo, Utah | $6,688 | 67.8% | $6,688 |
| 3 | Columbia Southern University | Orange Beach, Alabama | $6,760 | — | $6,760 |
| 4 | Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global | Marion, Indiana | $8,208 | — | $8,208 |
| 5 | Wayne State College | Wayne, Nebraska | $8,216 | — | $8,216 |
| 6 | Southwestern Oklahoma State University | Weatherford, Oklahoma | $8,499 | — | $8,499 |
| 7 | Western Carolina University | Cullowhee, North Carolina | $8,630 | 81.8% | $8,630 |
| 8 | Western Governors University | Salt Lake City, Utah | $8,658 | — | $8,658 |
| 9 | Thomas Edison State University | Trenton, New Jersey | $8,856 | — | $8,856 |
| 10 | Colorado State University Global | Denver, Colorado | $9,000 | 98.4% | $9,000 |
| 11 | Nicholls State University | Thibodaux, Louisiana | $9,242 | 90.8% | $9,242 |
| 12 | Franklin University | Columbus, Ohio | $9,577 | — | $9,577 |
| 13 | Metropolitan State University | Saint Paul, Minnesota | $9,840 | 98.7% | $9,840 |
| 14 | Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico | Hato Rey, Puerto Rico | $9,870 | — | $9,870 |
| 15 | University of the Cumberlands | Williamsburg, Kentucky | $9,875 | 98.8% | $9,875 |
| 16 | Bellevue University | Bellevue, Nebraska | $9,903 | — | $9,903 |
| 17 | McNeese State University | Lake Charles, Louisiana | $9,989 | 78.3% | $9,989 |
| 18 | Bemidji State University | Bemidji, Minnesota | $10,237 | 56.0% | $10,237 |
| 19 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, Minnesota | $10,245 | 94.8% | $10,245 |
| 20 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | Moorhead, Minnesota | $10,428 | 58.8% | $10,428 |
| 21 | West Texas A & M University | Canyon, Texas | $10,996 | 98.7% | $10,996 |
| 22 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide | Daytona Beach, Florida | $12,097 | 57.9% | $12,097 |
| 23 | University of Maryland Global Campus | Adelphi, Maryland | $12,336 | — | $12,336 |
| 24 | Midwestern State University | Wichita Falls, Texas | $12,530 | 93.5% | $12,530 |
| 25 | University of Massachusetts Global | Aliso Viejo, California | $12,540 | — | $12,540 |
| 26 | Wilmington University | New Castle, Delaware | $12,630 | — | $12,630 |
| 27 | National Louis University | Chicago, Illinois | $12,705 | 95.0% | $12,705 |
| 28 | South Dakota State University | Brookings, South Dakota | $12,809 | 98.3% | $12,809 |
| 29 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, Illinois | $12,922 | 97.5% | $12,922 |
| 30 | University of South Dakota | Vermillion, South Dakota | $12,942 | 98.8% | $12,942 |
| 31 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, Illinois | $13,248 | 69.8% | $13,248 |
| 32 | National University | San Diego, California | $13,284 | — | $13,284 |
| 33 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Carbondale, Illinois | $13,334 | 86.9% | $13,334 |
| 34 | Georgia Gwinnett College | Lawrenceville, Georgia | $13,844 | 95.5% | $13,844 |
| 35 | University of New Orleans | New Orleans, Louisiana | $14,008 | 74.3% | $14,008 |
| 36 | New Jersey City University | Jersey City, New Jersey | $14,460 | 98.4% | $14,460 |
| 37 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania | $14,676 | 71.5% | $14,676 |
| 38 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, Michigan | $14,760 | 89.8% | $14,760 |
| 39 | Ferris State University | Big Rapids, Michigan | $14,778 | 91.4% | $14,778 |
| 40 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center | New York, New York | $15,185 | 68.5% | $15,185 |
| 41 | Western Illinois University | Macomb, Illinois | $15,264 | 71.2% | $15,264 |
| 42 | CUNY New York City College of Technology | Brooklyn, New York | $15,282 | 80.3% | $15,282 |
| 43 | University of Nebraska at Kearney | Kearney, Nebraska | $15,284 | 89.5% | $15,284 |
| 44 | CUNY City College | New York, New York | $15,290 | 60.0% | $15,290 |
| 45 | CUNY Medgar Evers College | Brooklyn, New York | $15,302 | 86.1% | $15,302 |
| 46 | CUNY York College | Jamaica, New York | $15,308 | 64.1% | $15,308 |
| 47 | CUNY Hunter College | New York, New York | $15,332 | 53.8% | $15,332 |
| 48 | Pennsylvania State University-World Campus | University Park, Pennsylvania | $15,356 | 91.1% | $15,356 |
| 49 | CUNY Lehman College | Bronx, New York | $15,360 | 56.6% | $15,360 |
| 50 | University of Memphis | Memphis, Tennessee | $15,384 | 72.0% | $15,384 |
| 51 | CUNY Brooklyn College | Brooklyn, New York | $15,402 | 58.4% | $15,402 |
| 52 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | New York, New York | $15,414 | 47.5% | $15,414 |
| 53 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice | New York, New York | $15,420 | 57.1% | $15,420 |
| 54 | College of Staten Island CUNY | Staten Island, New York | $15,440 | 92.3% | $15,440 |
| 55 | CUNY Queens College | Queens, New York | $15,488 | 64.3% | $15,488 |
| 56 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, North Dakota | $15,570 | 76.9% | $15,570 |
| 57 | Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, Tennessee | $15,576 | 76.1% | $15,576 |
| 58 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | Fargo, North Dakota | $15,764 | 95.0% | $15,764 |
| 59 | SUNY Brockport | Brockport, New York | $15,822 | 70.7% | $15,822 |
| 60 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | Shippensburg, Pennsylvania | $15,974 | 86.5% | $15,974 |
| 61 | Pennsylvania Western University | California, Pennsylvania | $16,054 | 94.3% | $16,054 |
| 62 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | Kutztown, Pennsylvania | $16,068 | 90.8% | $16,068 |
| 63 | Purdue University Northwest | Hammond, Indiana | $16,094 | 72.4% | $16,094 |
| 64 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston, Illinois | $16,217 | 65.3% | $16,217 |
| 65 | Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti, Michigan | $16,240 | 79.6% | $16,240 |
| 66 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | Indiana, Pennsylvania | $16,297 | 90.8% | $16,297 |
| 67 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | Oshkosh, Wisconsin | $16,446 | 86.5% | $16,446 |
| 68 | University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, Georgia | $16,503 | 67.9% | $16,503 |
| 69 | Clayton State University | Morrow, Georgia | $16,532 | 68.5% | $16,532 |
| 70 | Central Connecticut State University | New Britain, Connecticut | $16,550 | 73.3% | $16,550 |
| 71 | University of Florida-Online | Gainesville, Florida | $16,579 | 61.3% | $16,579 |
| 72 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | Durant, Oklahoma | $16,740 | 76.4% | $16,740 |
| 73 | Winston-Salem State University | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | $16,782 | 78.3% | $16,782 |
| 74 | Louisiana Tech University | Ruston, Louisiana | $16,866 | 86.4% | $16,866 |
| 75 | Western Connecticut State University | Danbury, Connecticut | $16,901 | 87.0% | $16,901 |
| 76 | Southern New Hampshire University | Manchester, New Hampshire | $17,200 | 99.5% | $17,200 |
| 77 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Green Bay, Wisconsin | $17,288 | 88.6% | $17,288 |
| 78 | Northeastern State University | Tahlequah, Oklahoma | $17,290 | 99.6% | $17,290 |
| 79 | Winona State University | Winona, Minnesota | $17,308 | 75.5% | $17,308 |
| 80 | University of South Florida | Tampa, Florida | $17,324 | 43.2% | $17,324 |
| 81 | Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton, Florida | $17,324 | 66.1% | $17,324 |
| 82 | Northwest Missouri State University | Maryville, Missouri | $17,324 | 86.1% | $17,324 |
| 83 | Eastern Connecticut State University | Willimantic, Connecticut | $17,428 | 83.0% | $17,428 |
| 84 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | River Falls, Wisconsin | $17,470 | 81.7% | $17,470 |
| 85 | Park University | Parkville, Missouri | $17,500 | — | $17,500 |
| 86 | University of Houston-Downtown | Houston, Texas | $17,548 | 90.0% | $17,548 |
| 87 | Empire State University | Saratoga Springs, New York | $17,558 | — | $17,558 |
| 88 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | Platteville, Wisconsin | $17,603 | 89.4% | $17,603 |
| 89 | Georgia Southern University | Statesboro, Georgia | $17,734 | 87.9% | $17,734 |
| 90 | Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, Georgia | $17,736 | 69.2% | $17,736 |
| 91 | Fort Hays State University | Hays, Kansas | $17,741 | 90.3% | $17,741 |
| 92 | University of West Georgia | Carrollton, Georgia | $17,800 | 51.6% | $17,800 |
| 93 | Valdosta State University | Valdosta, Georgia | $17,836 | 72.3% | $17,836 |
| 94 | Worcester State University | Worcester, Massachusetts | $17,866 | 88.0% | $17,866 |
| 95 | Colorado State University Pueblo | Pueblo, Colorado | $17,944 | 94.9% | $17,944 |
| 96 | Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, Massachusetts | $17,948 | 87.8% | $17,948 |
| 97 | University of Central Arkansas | Conway, Arkansas | $18,023 | 89.5% | $18,023 |
| 98 | Tarleton State University | Stephenville, Texas | $18,142 | 89.5% | $18,142 |
| 99 | Westfield State University | Westfield, Massachusetts | $18,259 | 81.4% | $18,259 |
| 100 | Angelo State University | San Angelo, Texas | $18,300 | 83.0% | $18,300 |
Which of these actually fit you?
Tell the AI your grades, budget and major — get a reach/match/safety list with reasons. Free, unlimited.