Schools that give you the most for your money

August 16, 2009 by Geneva Reid

Which schools give you the most for your tuition dollar? Take a look at this list of the top seven.

These are the latest picks of Bruce G. Hammond, who’s worked with the Fiske college guides for more than 20 years:

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, NY: Great deal for students intererested in studying art, architecture of engineering. Free tuition and about $20,000 for room, board and fees.
Elon University, NC: Small liberal arts school that focuses on hands-on learning.
University of Iowa: Strong in creative writing, health sciences, social and behavioral sciences and space physics.
University of Mary Washington, VA: One of the country’s leading liberal arts colleges – public school and private college price.
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, MA: A top engineering school that offers free tuition and about $18,000 for room, board, etc.
Binghamton University, NY: Part of the SUNY system, it’s a public university with top notch academics and fewer than 12,000 undergrads.
Warren Wilson College, NC: Small liberal arts college, emphasizing community service.

Is there a college you’d like to add to this list? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Hank Walker Says:
August 19th, 2009 at 10:53 am
It depends on your definition of “most for your money.” Texas A&M was ranked #1 in payback ratio (median salary at 3 and 15 years after graduation divided by four year tuition and fees), however this applies only to graduates who stopped at a bachelor’s degree.

The reason I raise this issue is that schools increasingly spend to provide fancy amenities that make for a plush student life, but do not translate to long-lasting economic value. And it is intuitive that higher tuition and fees provides a diminishing economic return for the average student.
NB Says:
August 19th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Wabash College in Crawfordsville is reasonably priced compared to its peers. It is consistently ranked as one of the top liberal arts institutions. It’s all-male campus with great professor / student ratio.

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