Ranked

891 uS universities with the lowest tuition

Published in-state tuition, lowest first. The sticker price is not what most families pay — the net price by income sits on each university page.

#UniversityIn-stateCost of attendance BorrowPaying downSATAcceptance
321 Wright State University Dayton, Ohio $11,522 $24,373 42% 53% 96%
322 University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, Wisconsin $11,603 $28,679 20% 84% 1427 45%
323 Coastal Carolina University Conway, South Carolina $11,640 $26,692 57% 52% 1143 75%
324 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky $11,652 $24,188 35% 47% 971 94%
325 Portland State University Portland, Oregon $11,679 $21,590 32% 54% 91%
326 University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas $11,688 $31,247 27% 77% 1395 27%
327 Lander University Greenwood, South Carolina $11,700 $27,277 49% 46% 1057 81%
328 Towson University Towson, Maryland $11,728 $28,535 42% 68% 1095 82%
329 University of Maryland, College Park College Park, Maryland $11,809 $29,299 22% 79% 1473 45%
330 Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas $11,852 $27,443 41% 65% 1190 73%
331 Washington State University at Vancouver Vancouver, Washington $11,937 72%
332 University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, Texas $11,950 $25,261 31% 58% 1124 80%
333 Governors State University University Park, Illinois $12,004 $24,227 38% 45% 48%
334 Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia $12,058 $28,167 17% 85% 1480 14%
335 University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas $12,102 $26,751 37% 66% 1190 93%
336 Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, Indiana $12,144 $28,801 27% 72% 1313 78%
337 University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama $12,180 $33,382 32% 60% 1285 77%
338 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, Hawaii $12,186 $26,433 27% 69% 1102 87%
339 Sonoran Desert Institute Tempe, Arizona $12,200 $25,566 28%
340 university of illinois springfield Springfield, Illinois $12,252 $25,521 37% 58% 1102 86%
341 EDvance College San Francisco, California $12,300 0% 100%
342 Los Angeles Pacific University Glendora, California $12,360 $29,884 74%
343 Reach University Oakland, California $12,374 $32,536 0% 100%
344 American InterContinental University System Chandler, Arizona $12,397 $22,256 70% 25%
345 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, Colorado $12,416 $29,254 37% 62% 1082 86%
346 Lincoln University Lincoln University, Pennsylvania $12,512 $28,505 79% 32% 920 66%
347 Radford University Radford, Virginia $12,548 $28,405 51% 68% 1060 90%
348 University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri $12,587 $25,320 24% 56% 1204 72%
349 Wilmington University New Castle, Delaware $12,630 $19,644 46% 43%
350 Generations College Chicago, Illinois $12,700 $25,660 23% 24%
351 National-Louis University Chicago, Illinois $12,705 $24,154 22% 43% 95%
352 University of Toledo Toledo, Ohio $12,744 $26,512 36% 47% 1235 92%
353 Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia $12,750 $29,446 41% 52% 1197 90%
354 Walden University Minneapolis, Minnesota $12,762 $35,358 69% 30%
355 Auburn University Auburn, Alabama $12,890 $34,919 26% 72% 1345 46%
356 Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, Alabama $12,894 $24,257 44% 42% 1059 78%
357 Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Edwardsville, Illinois $12,922 $28,919 38% 58% 1100 98%
358 Saginaw Valley State University University Center, Michigan $12,930 $24,936 50% 49% 1052 72%
359 College of Charleston Charleston, South Carolina $12,978 $32,362 38% 60% 1247 60%
360 Cleveland State University Cleveland, Ohio $12,988 $27,159 74% 47% 91%

Questions

Cheapest tuition in the US: which university leads?
Wright State University — $11,522 in-state tuition.
Where does this data come from?
The US Department of Education College Scorecard, which publishes what institutions charge, what students borrow and repay, and the test scores of admitted students. Nothing here is estimated — universities without a published figure are left out of the ranking.
Is the cheapest university the best value?
Not necessarily. Price is one half of value; the other is what graduates earn and whether they clear the debt. Each university page links to its earnings and repayment record.

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard. Universities without a published figure for the ranked measure are not listed.