Best value private colleges in America

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Best value private colleges in America

As of the second quarter of 2025, student loan debt in the U.S. hit $1.814 trillion. According to the Education Data Initiative, that averages out to about $42,673 per borrower. For many, that level of debt is debilitating, preventing them from achieving financial stability and even delaying major life milestones, such as marriage, having children, and buying a home.

Still, it's generally believed that higher education offers a solid return on investment. According to the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, bachelor's degree programs have a median ROI of $160,000. And there are other, less easily measurable benefits that come from pursuing a formal degree, including the connections students can make and early-stage career support.

This type of added value is multiplied at private colleges, with their small class sizes, specialized departments, and tight alumni networks. However, the average cost of tuition at a four-year private college is nearly four times that at a four-year public college, according to the Education Data Initiative. For many, that is enough to cross private schools off their lists, but that may not be necessary. Some private schools with higher endowments are able to offer significant scholarships, while others have name recognition and alumni networks that open doors to high-paying jobs that can help offset student loan payments.

But how do you determine which schools are worth the investment? Stacker compiled a list of the best value private colleges in America using Niche's 2026 rankings. Only private, four-year colleges were considered. The ranking weighs the average 30-year return on investment, cost of tuition, graduation rate, median earnings, and other factors.

Read on to discover the best value private colleges in America and see where students are getting the most bang for their buck.

#50. Marietta College

- Location: Marietta, OH
- Acceptance rate: 79%
- Overall Niche grade: B
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $21,333
- Typical SAT range: 990-1300

#49. Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles

- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Acceptance rate: 69%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $27,434
- Typical SAT range: 900-1110

#48. Saint Xavier University

- Location: Chicago, IL
- Acceptance rate: 86%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $11,943
- Typical SAT range: 950-1120

#47. University of Saint Joseph

- Location: West Hartford, CT
- Acceptance rate: 80%
- Overall Niche grade: B
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $27,558
- Typical SAT range: 960-1250

#46. Wellesley College

- Location: Wellesley, MA
- Acceptance rate: 14%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $21,501
- Typical SAT range: 1440-1550

#45. College of Saint Mary

- Location: Omaha, NE
- Acceptance rate: 44%
- Overall Niche grade: A-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $14,265
- Typical SAT range: Not available

#44. University of St. Francis - Illinois

- Location: Joliet, IL
- Acceptance rate: 64%
- Overall Niche grade: B
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $16,455
- Typical SAT range: 900-1170

#43. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

- Location: Terre Haute, IN
- Acceptance rate: 73%
- Overall Niche grade: A-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $44,016
- Typical SAT range: 1280-1470

#42. Wagner College

- Location: Staten Island, NY
- Acceptance rate: 83%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $28,109
- Typical SAT range: 1150-1320

#41. Hamilton College

- Location: Clinton, NY
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,021
- Typical SAT range: 1410-1550

#40. Middlebury College

- Location: Middlebury, VT
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $22,912
- Typical SAT range: 1430-1550

#39. University of Chicago

- Location: Chicago, IL
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $27,979
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1570

#38. Molloy University

- Location: Rockville Centre, NY
- Acceptance rate: 76%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $25,938
- Typical SAT range: 1080-1310

#37. Georgetown University

- Location: Washington, DC
- Acceptance rate: 13%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $37,967
- Typical SAT range: 1390-1550

#36. Boston College

- Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $32,590
- Typical SAT range: 1430-1540

#35. Unitek College - Fremont

- Location: Fremont, CA
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Overall Niche grade: C+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $23,984
- Typical SAT range: Not available

#34. Saint Elizabeth University

- Location: Morristown, NJ
- Acceptance rate: 77%
- Overall Niche grade: B
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $18,412
- Typical SAT range: 890-1100

#33. Bowdoin College

- Location: Brunswick, ME
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $23,110
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1550

#32. Berea College

- Location: Berea, KY
- Acceptance rate: 33%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $4,379
- Typical SAT range: 1160-1340

#31. Holy Family University

- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Acceptance rate: 74%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $13,016
- Typical SAT range: 950-1140

#30. Brown University

- Location: Providence, RI
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,608
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#29. American Public University System

- Location: 4 Year (Online)
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $10,322
- Typical SAT range: Not available

#28. Washington and Lee University

- Location: Lexington, VA
- Acceptance rate: 17%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $24,667
- Typical SAT range: 1410-1530

#27. Lehigh University

- Location: Bethlehem, PA
- Acceptance rate: 29%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $33,289
- Typical SAT range: 1350-1490

#26. Western Governors University

- Location: 4 Year (Online)
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $9,555
- Typical SAT range: Not available

#25. Cornell University

- Location: Ithaca, NY
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,455
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

#24. Helene Fuld College of Nursing

- Location: New York, NY
- Acceptance rate: 24%
- Overall Niche grade: unavailable
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $37,732
- Typical SAT range: Not available

#23. Vanderbilt University

- Location: Nashville, TN
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,689
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1560

#22. University of Notre Dame

- Location: Notre Dame, IN
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $29,083
- Typical SAT range: 1440-1540

#21. Williams College

- Location: Williamstown, MA
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $16,988
- Typical SAT range: 1470-1560

#20. Northwestern University

- Location: Evanston, IL
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $23,341
- Typical SAT range: 1490-1560

#19. Columbia University

- Location: New York, NY
- Acceptance rate: 4%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $20,869
- Typical SAT range: 1490-1570

#18. Johns Hopkins University

- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $22,844
- Typical SAT range: 1530-1580

#17. Swarthmore College

- Location: Swarthmore, PA
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,930
- Typical SAT range: 1460-1560

#16. Amherst College

- Location: Amherst, MA
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,965
- Typical SAT range: 1360-1550

#15. Duke University

- Location: Durham, NC
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $23,422
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1570

#14. Washington University in St. Louis

- Location: Saint Louis, MO
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $22,440
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#13. Rice University

- Location: Houston, TX
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $20,587
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#12. University of Pennsylvania

- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $26,017
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#11. Carnegie Mellon University

- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $32,964
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#10. Yale University

- Location: New Haven, CT
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $26,044
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

#9. Claremont McKenna College

- Location: Claremont, CA
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $29,978
- Typical SAT range: 1450-1560

#8. Dartmouth College

- Location: Hanover, NH
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,322
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#7. Pomona College

- Location: Claremont, CA
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,423
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

#6. Princeton University

- Location: Princeton, NJ
- Acceptance rate: 4%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $19,811
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

#5. Harvard University

- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Acceptance rate: 3%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,900
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

#4. Stanford University

- Location: Stanford, CA
- Acceptance rate: 4%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,998
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1580

#3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $21,519
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1580

#2. Harvey Mudd College

- Location: Claremont, CA
- Acceptance rate: 13%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $42,720
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

#1. California Institute of Technology

- Location: Pasadena, CA
- Acceptance rate: 3%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $23,397
- Typical SAT range: 1530-1580

Story updated by Isabel Sepulveda and Madison Troyer.