10 Colleges That are Worth the Price of Tuition

College is something I think about on a regular basis even though my kids are 6, 4 and almost 1. But I do have four, so it makes sense that we would think about things like this now that we have time to plan and consider how we are going to put four kids through college. We’ll spend approximately 10 or so years paying college tuition, one for three years, two for a year, one for two years, three for a year and then two for three more years (I’m not even going to try and double check to ensure that’s correct math, so don’t  judge and just use it as a guideline). While many people are currently debating the cost of college even being worth the four years spent educating oneself, others are positive that their college education was the best thing in which they ever invested. If you’re not sure whether or not college is worth the price, we have a list of 10 schools in the US that are worth the price of tuition, even if that price does seem quite steep.

Brigham Young University

BYU is known in many ways; it’s an excellent school as far as academics are concerned, and it’s also a good school for sports. What makes this school worth the price of tuition is the fact that it has one of the best law programs in the country. Additionally, this school also has one of the nation’s best MBA and medical programs. If you are a Mormon, you will get a much lower tuition rate than other kids, which might seem unfair to some, but it’s because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supports the school.

New College of Florida

It’s not a school with a big, flashy name or reputation, but it’s a solid school that’s completely worth the price of tuition. Based in Sarasota, the school offers a very rigorous program with an interesting teaching method. All of the students who go here will get a pass or a fail – it’s almost like kindergarten. What’s interesting is that the professors, while they don’t issue actual grades, do provide a sort of student evaluation that goes along with their pass or fail.

Caltech

Approximately 17% of students who apply to this prestigious technical school are accepted each year. This California school is very picky about who gets to come here and earn an education, and it’s because they are the best of the best. But the cost of tuition here is worth it considering most of the most successful people in the tech industry went to school here. Additionally, there is only 3 students per teacher, so each student is given attention that no other university is able to provide.

University of Virginia

This is not a private school, but it’s not easy to get into this university. In fact, it’s said to be one of the most difficult universities in the country in which to obtain an acceptance letter, and that’s highly impressive. What is nice for those who are able to gain admittance into this prestigious university is that the cost of in-state tuition is less than $10,000 per year. Out-of-state kids can get almost 100 percent of their tuition covered, too.

Harvard University

Of course the cost of Harvard is worth it. It’s the college that produces most of the country’s million and billionaires, and it’s got a great academic record. Additionally, the school offers very generous financial assistance packages to those who cannot afford to attend college here. What’s even more is that the school charges only 10% of a family’s income for tuition if the family makes less than $180,000 per year.

Rice University

It is not an Ivy League school, but southerners like to pretend it is their version of one. The price per year to attend school here is the lowest price of any private school in the country that’s very selective about students, and most kids are able to graduate without any debt once they get their degree. The in-state tuition is much lower than most, and so is the out-of-state tuition and many of the grads here are able to go on and make a nice living.

UGA

As a Florida girl myself, I’m going to give a good, old-fashioned SEC shout out to UGA and say that I’m glad one of our schools makes this list. The good news is that you have SEC football, southern tailgating and fairly nice weather here. It’s also worth the price, especially for Georgia high-school seniors with a 3.0 GPA or higher. These students automatically qualify for something called the HOPE scholarship, which helps significantly with the cost of tuition.

United States Naval Academy

You get a monthly stipend to go to school here, you get to fast-track yourself into an impressive career doing something that is very noble and impressive, and you pretty much have no debt when you graduate considering the cost of your books and tuition is taken from your monthly stipend so that you can pay for classes without worrying about your finances in the process.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

This is a school with a stellar reputation and the cost of tuition is reasonable. It’s even more affordable if your kids are in-state residents and have to pay the in-state tuition. What makes this particular school worth the price is that it has the ability to meet financial aid needs 100% and they a program that allows low-income students to go to school, earn an education and even graduate the college without any debt.

Cornell

This impressive university is worth the price it costs to attend. With the school offering an education at nearly $50,000 per year, it better be worth the price paid to attend classes here. The good news is that if you attend the Ag and Life Sciences, Industrial and Labor Relations or Human Ecology programs, they’re actually state programs and tuition is less than $15,000 per year to attend. It’s a very little-known fact about this prestigious university.

Photo by William B. Plowman/Getty Images