These Are the Best Colleges You Can Attend for Under $20K a Year
Whether you’re sending a child to college or putting yourself through school, being able to afford college tuition is no easy feat. Fortunately, you can get a quality education in any state for less than $20,000 a year.
A new GOBankingRates report analyzed US News’ 2018 Best Colleges for National Universities list to determine the highest-ranking colleges in each state. We then looked at annual costs at the top-ranking colleges to determine the “best” college in each state that has the lowest overall in-state tuition and fees and the highest US News ranking. Keep reading to see the best college in every state that costs less than $20,000 a year.
If you’re looking to attend school or send a child to school in-state, the study’s data can help you choose where to apply to get a great education without accumulating too much debt.
Tuition at the best affordable colleges in each state ranged from $5,218 per year to $18,276 per year. Four of the schools included in the list are top 30 schools — University of California, Berkeley, University of Virginia, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill — which proves that you don’t need to spend a lot to get a college degree from a prestigious school.
Here is the complete list of the best college in every state that costs less than $20,000 a year:
| State | College | Tuition and Fees |
| Alabama | Auburn University | $10,968 |
| Alaska | University of Alaska — Fairbanks | $7,520 |
| Arizona | Arizona State University — Tempe | $10,792 |
| Arkansas | University of Arkansas | $9,062 |
| California | University of California — Berkeley | $14,218 |
| Colorado | University of Colorado — Boulder | $12,086 |
| Connecticut | University of Connecticut | $15,730 |
| Delaware | University of Delaware | $13,160 |
| Florida | University of Florida | $6,380 |
| Georgia | Georgia Institute of Technology | $12,618 |
| Hawaii | University of Hawaii — Manoa | $10,872 |
| Idaho | University of Idaho | $7,488 |
| Illinois | University of Illinois — Urbana-Champaign | $16,004 |
| Indiana | Purdue University — West Lafayette | $9,992 |
| Iowa | University of Iowa | $9,189.50 |
| Kansas | University of Kansas | $11,020 |
| Kentucky | University of Kentucky | $11,772 |
| Louisiana | Louisiana State University — Baton Rouge | $11,318 |
| Maine | University of Maine | $10,902 |
| Maryland | University of Maryland — College Park | $10,180 |
| Massachusetts | University of Massachusetts — Amherst | $15,787 |
| Michigan | University of Michigan — Ann Arbor | $14,826 |
| Minnesota | University of Minnesota — Twin Cities | $14,488 |
| Mississippi | University of Mississippi | $8,290 |
| Missouri | University of Missouri | $11,258 |
| Montana | Montana State University | $7,150 |
| Nebraska | University of Nebraska — Lincoln | $9,242 |
| Nevada | University of Nevada — Reno | $7,599 |
| New Hampshire | University of New Hampshire | $18,067 |
| New Jersey | Rutgers University — New Brunswick | $14,970 |
| New Mexico | University of New Mexico | $7,146 |
| New York | Binghamton University — SUNY | $9,808 |
| North Carolina | University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill | $8,910 |
| North Dakota | University of North Dakota | $8,447 |
| Ohio | Ohio State University — Columbus | $10,591 |
| Oklahoma | University of Oklahoma | $11,285 |
| Oregon | Oregon State University | $10,797 |
| Pennsylvania | Temple University | $15,768 |
| Rhode Island | University of Rhode Island | $13,792 |
| South Carolina | Clemson University | $14,712 |
| South Dakota | South Dakota State University | $8,460 |
| Tennessee | University of Tennessee | $12,970 |
| Texas | University of Texas — Austin | $9,914 |
| Utah | Brigham Young University — Provo | $5,620 – $11,240 |
| Vermont | University of Vermont | $18,276 |
| Virginia | University of Virginia | $16,076 |
| Washington | University of Washington | $10,974 |
| West Virginia | West Virginia University | $8,976 |
| Wisconsin | University of Wisconsin — Madison | $10,534 |
| Wyoming | University of Wyoming | $5,218 |
Click through to see the most expensive college in every state.
Methodology: To determine qualitatively the “best” colleges, GOBankingRates sourced US News 2018 Best Colleges for National Universities with the highest ranking in each state. Annual costs are based on in-state tuition and fees (not counting room and board), sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and individual college websites. The “best” college in each state having the highest US News ranking and the lowest overall cost, i.e. in-state tuition and fees.
