The price of college in the US continues to tick upward. Today, the average annual cost to attend a public university is about $19,000, and for a private university that figure is about $42,000.
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The 14 best colleges for your money
These schools on this list deliver a superior education at an affordable price.
New Jersey — Princeton University
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With that in mind, Money.com ranked the best colleges for your money, and dubbed them the "paycheck league."
The ranking looked at 711 colleges and evaluated them on 27 factors within three broad categories: educational quality, affordability, and alumni success. See the full methodology here.
Below are the top 14 schools on the list, including total annual tuition price for each school, the tuition price when factoring in the average financial aid students receive, and the median career earnings of students five years after graduation.
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14. Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Annual price without aid: $70,100
Annual price with aid: $19,600
Early career earnings: $62,600
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13. University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
Annual price without aid: $28,500
Annual price with aid: $10,500
Early career earnings: $55,200
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12. Rice University
Houston, Texas
Annual price without aid: $62,700
Annual price with aid: $24,300
Early career earnings: $63,100
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11. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Annual price without aid: $31,200
Annual price with aid: $15,700
Early career earnings: $58,000
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10. Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Annual price without aid: $68,600
Annual price with aid: $17,000
Early career earnings: $65,000
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9. University of California at Davis
Davis, California
Annual price without aid: $36,300
Annual price with aid: $18,200
Early career earnings: $53,000
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8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Annual price without aid: $67,800
Annual price with aid: $23,400
Early career earnings: $77,000
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7. University of California at Irvine
Irvine, California
Annual price without aid: $33,900
Annual price with aid: $15,800
Early career earnings: $52,000
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5. Stanford University
Stanford, California
Annual price without aid: $68,100
Annual price with aid: $20,800
Early career earnings: $70,300
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5. University of California at Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Annual price without aid: $35,300
Annual price with aid: $14,900
Early career earnings: $53,300
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4. University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Annual price without aid: $37,200
Annual price with aid: $17,900
Early career earnings: $62,100
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3. University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Annual price without aid: $29,500
Annual price with aid: $17,000
Early career earnings: $61,200
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2. City University of New York, Bernard M. Baruch College
New York, New York
Annual price without aid: $31,400
Annual price with aid: $9,800
Early career earnings: $51,600
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1. Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
Annual price without aid: $65,300
Annual price with aid: $19,300
Early career earnings: $67,600
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