10 colleges that offer the best value in the U.S.: Wall Street Journal
The university is expensive for many American families. But he doesn’t have to.
The last 4 -year colleges are over 30,000 dollars. National Education Statistical Center DataHowever, many families pay much less after federal and school -based financial assistance, grants and scholarships.
Students and families looking for institutions that offer strong results for graduates at a costly cost can find several schools that meet these criteria in Big Apple. Seven of the top 10 value colleges in the USA are part of the New York City University Network. The Wall Street Journal’s 2026 ranking It was released on September 29th.
WSJ was considered the average net price of schools – the cost paid by students after financial aid and scholarships – and each school added to the salaries of graduates. The second figure is calculated as the difference between Median graduate earnings and the median gains of the high school in the state.
Baruch College in Manhattan is the top for the third year in a row. The school has gained famous for its purchasability and high quality education, which helps students from medium and low -income families to be better in adulthood.
According to 2017, almost half of the Baruch students (47%) came to the country -wide persistent of the winners from families and moved to one -fifth of the first five -fifth of the winners. New York Times Analysis. The magazine also listed Baruch number 7. Social Mobility RankingsIt was evaluated as factors such as salary impact and graduation rates of the school.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the best 10 values for 2026.
1. Baruch College (Cuny)
- Average Net Price: $ 2,978
- Graduate Salary Added Value: $ 49.499
- Net Price Payment Time: 2 MONTHS
2. Hunter College (Cuny)
- Average Net Price: $ 2.446
- Added value for graduate salary: $ 35.943
- Net Price Payment Time: 3 months
3. Brooklyn College (Cuny)
- Average Net Price: $ 2.943
- Added value for graduate salary: $ 34.037
- Net Price Payment Time: 4 MONTHS
4. New York City College (Cuny)
- Average Net Price: $ 3.486
- Added value for graduate salary: $ 37.007
- Net Price Payment Time: 4 MONTHS
5. John Jay Criminal Justice College (Cuny)
- Average Net Price: $ 3,046
- Added value for graduate salary: $ 29.721
- Net Price Payment Time: 4 MONTHS
6. Queens College (Cuny)
- Average Net Price: $ 3,830
- Added value for graduate salary: $ 35.468
- Net Price Payment Time: 5 months
7. Lehman College (Cuny)
- Average Net Price: $ 3.482
- Added value for graduate salary: $ 29.923
- Net Price Payment Time: 5 months
8. Princeton University
- Average Net Price: $ 10.555
- Added value for graduate salary: $ 89.368
- Net Price Payment Time: 5 months
9. Stanford University
- Average Net Price: $ 12.136
- Added value for graduate salary: $ 94.725
- Net Price Payment Time: 6 MONTHS
10. California State University, Los Angeles
- Average Net Price: $ 4,113
- Added value for graduate salary: $ 31.298
- Net Price Payment Time: 6 MONTHS
Prestige trade for value
The magazine can pay participation costs within about two months, with an average net price of $ 3,000 and a value of approximately $ 50,000 to the salaries of graduates.
This is more and more important for families who help their students pay for the university, Jeff Sekingo, Higher Education Specialist, recently CNBC’nin Make It gave, he said. While schools such as Stanford and Princeton also offer a great value to students, they come at a vertical cost of over 10,000 dollars at average net prices than WSJ.
Historically, families felt that it was worth it to send their students to a highest level of school despite their cost. But these days, “They will do prestige for a college that will cost half,” says Self.
“They have money, but they don’t want to pay for a specific prestige level.” “They want to save this money for other things, including children after leaving university.”
Baruch and other best value Cuny Schools, Wall Street Journal’s almost high in ranking General rankings“The location is important,” says SELINGO. And the fact that these colleges are in New York, a hot point for high paid jobs in various sectors-can also provide students with a long-term career advantage.
However, it can be expensive to live in New York for university. Cuny schools have limited student housing and are generally not guaranteed for students.
This may mean living in an out -of -campus apartment in Manhattan, where the average rent is around $ 5,600 per month. RentcafeHowever, this figure may vary depending on the neighborhood, the size of the apartment and the number of roommates.
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