2016 Best Colleges Preview: Top 10 Best Value Schools
For the majority of prospective college students and their families, cost is a major factor in determining which schools are viable options. Knowing which schools are best buys -- which colleges provide the highest quality education for the lowest price -- is imperative.
To help provide that information, U.S. News surveys colleges and universities each year and ranks nearly 1,400 of them in different categories according to our methodology.
Here, we offer a sneak peek of the 2016 Best Colleges rankings.
These schools -- listed alphabetically below -- are considered the top 10 Best Value Schools among those in the National Universities category. National Universities emphasize faculty research and offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and doctoral programs.
National University (state) |
|---|
Brown University (RI) |
California Institute of Technology |
Columbia University (NY) |
Dartmouth College (NH) |
Duke University (NC) |
Harvard University (MA) |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Princeton University (NJ) |
Stanford University (CA) |
Yale University (CT) |
These schools -- listed alphabetically below -- are considered the top 10 Best Value Schools among those in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category. Liberal Arts Colleges emphasize undergraduate education, awarding at least 50 percent of their degrees in the arts and sciences.
National Liberal Arts College (state) |
|---|
Amherst College (MA) |
Grinnell College (IA) |
Haverford College (PA) |
Middlebury College (VT) |
Pomona College (CA) |
Soka University of America (CA) |
Swarthmore College (PA) |
Vassar College (NY) |
Washington and Lee University (VA) |
Williams College (MA) |
The actual Best Value rankings of these and other schools will be available Sept. 9, 2015, on usnews.com.
To see full rankings, SAT and ACT scores, scholarship and grant information, graduation rates and more, sign up for the U.S. News College Compass.
