1
Rust College
MS · Acceptance Rate: 50%
Tuition: $10,800
Est. Net Cost: $5,300
Avg. Merit Aid: $5,500
Enrollment: 600
← All Guides
Top 20 Best-Value Private Colleges
Private colleges with the lowest estimated net cost after merit aid.
How we ranked these schools
Effective cost is calculated as published tuition minus the average maximum merit award. Only private colleges with published merit scholarship data are included. Lower effective cost ranks higher. Data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (the federal government's education data authority), Princeton Review, Niche, and My School List's own school database. All figures reflect the most recently available data and are updated periodically. Rankings are for informational purposes only.
2
Tougaloo College
MS · Acceptance Rate: 55%
Tuition: $11,508
Est. Net Cost: $5,508
Avg. Merit Aid: $6,000
Enrollment: 700
3
Lane College
TN · Acceptance Rate: 55%
Tuition: $11,430
Est. Net Cost: $5,597
Avg. Merit Aid: $5,833
Enrollment: 1,200
4
Alice Lloyd College
KY · Acceptance Rate: 55%
Tuition: $12,500
Est. Net Cost: $5,833
Avg. Merit Aid: $6,667
Enrollment: 600
5
Stillman College
AL · Acceptance Rate: 65%
Tuition: $12,574
Est. Net Cost: $5,907
Avg. Merit Aid: $6,667
Enrollment: 700
6
Philander Smith University
AR · Acceptance Rate: 60%
Tuition: $14,230
Est. Net Cost: $6,897
Avg. Merit Aid: $7,333
Enrollment: 800
7
Voorhees University
SC · Acceptance Rate: 72%
Tuition: $14,920
Est. Net Cost: $7,253
Avg. Merit Aid: $7,667
Enrollment: 500
8
Talladega College
AL · Acceptance Rate: 55%
Tuition: $15,284
Est. Net Cost: $7,451
Avg. Merit Aid: $7,833
Enrollment: 700
9
Wilberforce University
OH · Acceptance Rate: 65%
Tuition: $15,340
Est. Net Cost: $7,507
Avg. Merit Aid: $7,833
Enrollment: 500
10
Bennett College
NC · Acceptance Rate: 55%
Tuition: $20,146
Est. Net Cost: $7,646
Avg. Merit Aid: $12,500
Enrollment: 300
11
Paine College
GA · Acceptance Rate: 40%
Tuition: $16,040
Est. Net Cost: $7,707
Avg. Merit Aid: $8,333
Enrollment: 600
12
Huston-Tillotson University
TX · Acceptance Rate: 65%
Tuition: $16,396
Est. Net Cost: $7,896
Avg. Merit Aid: $8,500
Enrollment: 1,000
13
Claflin University
SC · Acceptance Rate: 52%
Tuition: $17,538
Est. Net Cost: $8,371
Avg. Merit Aid: $9,167
Enrollment: 1,900
14
Cottey College
MO · Acceptance Rate: 72%
Tuition: $22,900
Est. Net Cost: $8,650
Avg. Merit Aid: $14,250
Enrollment: 300
15
Bethune-Cookman University
FL · Acceptance Rate: 58%
Tuition: $15,240
Est. Net Cost: $8,740
Avg. Merit Aid: $6,500
Enrollment: 2,500
16
Cooper Union
NY · Acceptance Rate: 13%
Tuition: $24,000
Est. Net Cost: $9,000
Avg. Merit Aid: $15,000
Enrollment: 900
17
Virginia Union University
VA · Acceptance Rate: 62%
Tuition: $18,816
Est. Net Cost: $9,149
Avg. Merit Aid: $9,667
Enrollment: 1,200
18
Dillard University
LA · Acceptance Rate: 55%
Tuition: $19,754
Est. Net Cost: $9,421
Avg. Merit Aid: $10,333
Enrollment: 1,200
19
Birmingham-Southern College
AL · Acceptance Rate: 65%
Tuition: $20,000
Est. Net Cost: $9,667
Avg. Merit Aid: $10,333
Enrollment: 1,100
20
Thomas Aquinas College
CA · Acceptance Rate: 72%
Tuition: $29,500
Est. Net Cost: $11,000
Avg. Merit Aid: $18,500
Enrollment: 400
Related Guides
Top 20 Colleges for Merit Aid
Colleges that award the largest merit scholarships, ranked by average award amount.
View guide →Colleges That Meet 100% of Demonstrated Financial Need
Every college that commits to covering 100% of your demonstrated financial need.
View guide →Colleges with No-Loan Financial Aid Policies
Colleges with no-loan financial aid policies for qualifying students.
View guide →