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National ranking · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Most Affordable Colleges

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data retrieved March-July 2026, these colleges rank lowest on average net price among operating U.S. campuses with at least 1,000 students. Net price is what full-time, first-time Title IV recipients actually paid after grants and scholarships - not sticker tuition alone.

$32
Lowest average net price
100
Colleges ranked
$3,864
#100 cutoff

The list in one line

Every college on this list reports an average net price of $3,864 or less for full-time, first-time undergraduates. Canada College is the lowest at $32.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$32
#1 - Canada College
$3,864
#100 cutoff on this list
1,000+
enrollment required per school

Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients; see methodology for cohort details.

Top 15 most affordable colleges by average net price

Lower bars mean lower average net price after aid

avg net price

What this shows Public regional campuses and community-college feeders often dominate low net price - compare earnings and graduation rates before treating cost alone as value.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Where the #100 cutoff sits nationally

Average net price among colleges with enrollment 1,000+

$3,864 Among the most affordable more affordable than 1% of 2,142 US colleges

$0–$2,000: 26 US colleges (1%). Below this entry. $2,000–$4,000: 82 US colleges (4%). This entry sits in this band. $4,000–$6,000: 175 US colleges (8%). Above this entry. $6,000–$8,000: 191 US colleges (9%). Above this entry. $8,000–$10,000: 195 US colleges (9%). Above this entry. $10,000–$12,000: 170 US colleges (8%). Above this entry. $12,000–$14,000: 192 US colleges (9%). Above this entry. $14,000–$16,000: 161 US colleges (8%). Above this entry. $16,000–$18,000: 133 US colleges (6%). Above this entry. $18,000–$20,000: 128 US colleges (6%). Above this entry. $20,000–$22,000: 105 US colleges (5%). Above this entry. $22,000–$24,000: 119 US colleges (6%). Above this entry. $24,000–$26,000: 80 US colleges (4%). Above this entry. $26,000–$28,000: 74 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $28,000–$30,000: 83 US colleges (4%). Above this entry. $30,000–$32,000: 55 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $32,000–$34,000: 36 US colleges (2%). Above this entry. $34,000–$36,000: 30 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $36,000–$38,000: 30 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $38,000–$40,000: 20 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $40,000–$42,000: 24 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $42,000–$44,000: 5 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $44,000–$46,000: 4 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $46,000–$48,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $48,000–$50,000: 11 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $50,000–$52,000: 4 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $52,000–$54,000: 3 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $56,000–$58,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $58,000–$60,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. #100 cutoff $0 $60,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $2K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Full ranking table

Filter by state, ownership sector, or minimum enrollment, then open any school profile for earnings and program outcomes.

#School NameStateAvg Net PriceMedian Earnings (10yr)Enrollment
1Canada CollegeCA$32$50,0875,175
2College of the SequoiasCA$480$39,09211,562
3College of San MateoCA$536$54,1727,977
4Wiregrass Georgia Technical CollegeGA$614$30,8642,887
5Henry Ford CollegeMI$660$34,7958,643
6Southern Regional Technical CollegeGA$813$31,2933,098
7Cleveland Community CollegeNC$995$33,7551,097
8Imperial Valley CollegeCA$1,115$34,4877,652
9Chipola CollegeFL$1,133$37,3781,312
10South Georgia Technical CollegeGA$1,164$30,3641,407
11George C Wallace Community College-DothanAL$1,170$31,3993,017
12Texas A&M University-Central TexasTX$1,300-1,750
13College of the MainlandTX$1,342$39,6393,368
14Trident Technical CollegeSC$1,406$38,25310,512
15St Petersburg CollegeFL$1,471$42,55718,950
16Macomb Community CollegeMI$1,618$41,59613,876
17Lamar State College-OrangeTX$1,655$36,5871,391
18Durham Technical Community CollegeNC$1,664$36,1423,890
19Joliet Junior CollegeIL$1,672$42,8899,306
20Skyline CollegeCA$1,738$55,7027,620
21South Texas CollegeTX$1,751$36,78815,856
22Johnston Community CollegeNC$1,776$37,3103,453
23West Virginia University at ParkersburgWV$1,807$35,1711,868
24Manatee Technical CollegeFL$1,808$38,1291,486
25Oglala Lakota CollegeSD$1,895$22,5171,097
26Victor Valley CollegeCA$1,947$36,1194,210
27Florence-Darlington Technical CollegeSC$2,004$32,7483,055
28Hartnell CollegeCA$2,039$44,3169,453
29Rockingham Community CollegeNC$2,060$32,4801,065
30Irvine Valley CollegeCA$2,090$49,15610,286
31Santiago Canyon CollegeCA$2,129$44,95610,579
32Illinois Valley Community CollegeIL$2,232$40,8102,040
33Wayne Community CollegeNC$2,245$34,1482,739
34College of the AlbemarleNC$2,253$33,2342,001
35Lake Land CollegeIL$2,254$38,8772,448
36Schoolcraft Community College DistrictMI$2,260$42,7227,511
37Middlesex CollegeNJ$2,288$46,8618,469
38Bridgerland Technical CollegeUT$2,338$38,3471,567
39Spartanburg Community CollegeSC$2,405$37,0975,006
40San Joaquin Delta CollegeCA$2,407$43,21215,781
41Cerritos CollegeCA$2,424$41,15618,870
42West Georgia Technical CollegeGA$2,457$35,4795,163
43Southwest Mississippi Community CollegeMS$2,525$33,2271,474
44Yuba CollegeCA$2,576$39,5524,779
45Middlesex Community CollegeMA$2,624$50,6515,412
46Carroll Community CollegeMD$2,725$44,3491,990
47Northeast Alabama Community CollegeAL$2,756$34,9131,629
48Santa Monica CollegeCA$2,779$42,19321,440
49Northern Marianas CollegeMP$2,789$27,8361,225
50Lurleen B Wallace Community CollegeAL$2,792$32,3071,097
51Modesto Junior CollegeCA$2,818$42,36815,109
52Taft CollegeCA$2,823$38,8613,556
53Moraine Valley Community CollegeIL$2,829$43,8927,490
54Northwest Shoals Community CollegeAL$2,838$33,8281,969
55Lamar State College-Port ArthurTX$2,846$37,1201,508
56Shasta CollegeCA$2,878$39,2696,128
57Robeson Community CollegeNC$2,892$29,0361,551
58Hazard Community and Technical CollegeKY$2,955$29,8681,506
59Kalamazoo Valley Community CollegeMI$2,979$38,6184,997
60CUNY Hunter CollegeNY$2,984$63,16316,289
61CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNY$3,033$75,97116,154
62Victoria CollegeTX$3,043$42,3822,351
63Wilson Community CollegeNC$3,064$32,9731,373
64Texas Southmost CollegeTX$3,085$41,9003,372
65CUNY Brooklyn CollegeNY$3,103$60,75210,543
66Santa Ana CollegeCA$3,133$43,55222,485
67CUNY Lehman CollegeNY$3,148$58,01310,696
68CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNY$3,203$56,19511,590
69El Paso Community CollegeTX$3,206$35,21224,214
70Dallas CollegeTX$3,214$41,71443,869
71Ogden-Weber Technical CollegeUT$3,229$35,0322,928
72Clovis Community CollegeNM$3,230$34,0201,309
73South Suburban CollegeIL$3,242$33,6802,042
74Washtenaw Community CollegeMI$3,249$39,4497,816
75Snead State Community CollegeAL$3,249$35,7351,427
76Vance-Granville Community CollegeNC$3,286$34,3041,665
77Craven Community CollegeNC$3,289$34,2311,989
78San Diego Miramar CollegeCA$3,337$48,22411,271
79Nash Community CollegeNC$3,338$34,9121,689
80Central Piedmont Community CollegeNC$3,345$37,86515,067
81Lewis and Clark Community CollegeIL$3,349$37,7242,487
82Del Mar CollegeTX$3,399$38,6569,501
83Pima Community CollegeAZ$3,405$39,81014,242
84Chattahoochee Technical CollegeGA$3,407$37,1388,727
85West Valley CollegeCA$3,423$51,6886,416
86Gadsden State Community CollegeAL$3,515$32,9373,548
87Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeKY$3,537$34,2423,308
88Fayetteville Technical Community CollegeNC$3,589$31,8619,471
89Texas A & M International UniversityTX$3,637$48,3866,667
90Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell CampusNM$3,645$38,5501,300
91Carl Sandburg CollegeIL$3,662$35,2741,051
92College of the CanyonsCA$3,702$49,02215,832
93Mississippi Delta Community CollegeMS$3,715$28,4211,413
94Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical CollegeKY$3,731$29,4821,721
95Richland Community CollegeIL$3,741$38,7931,346
96CUNY City CollegeNY$3,776$66,03912,505
97Indian River State CollegeFL$3,815$38,31511,822
98Antelope Valley Community College DistrictCA$3,860$36,52611,534
99Hillsborough CollegeFL$3,861$40,78221,472
100Pasadena City CollegeCA$3,864$43,93721,466

About This Ranking

Schools are ranked by average net price for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. Only operating colleges with enrollment of at least 1,000 are included so tiny specialty campuses do not dominate. Median earnings ten years after entry are shown for context but do not affect rank order. See our methodology for source vintage and cohort definitions.

Caveats and limitations

"Most affordable" here means lowest reported average net price, not guaranteed cost for any one family. Your price depends on income, residency, and aid packaging. A low average can also reflect a campus that enrolls many high-need students receiving large grants.

For earnings-adjusted value, see our best value ranking. For low-income-specific net price, see lowest net price for families under $30k.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Use each school's net price calculator for a personalized estimate.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.