Best value private colleges in America

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Marietta college campus.
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- Location: Marietta, OH
- Acceptance rate: 79%
- Overall Niche grade: B
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $21,333
- Typical SAT range: 990-1300

#50. Marietta College
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Mount Saint Mary's University sign and campus.
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- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Acceptance rate: 69%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $27,434
- Typical SAT range: 900-1110

#49. Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles
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College students in class.
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- Location: Chicago, IL
- Acceptance rate: 86%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $11,943
- Typical SAT range: 950-1120

#48. Saint Xavier University
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McDonough Hall at University of Saint Joseph.
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- Location: West Hartford, CT
- Acceptance rate: 80%
- Overall Niche grade: B
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $27,558
- Typical SAT range: 960-1250

#47. University of Saint Joseph
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Wellesley College Tower Court.
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- Location: Wellesley, MA
- Acceptance rate: 14%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $21,501
- Typical SAT range: 1440-1550

#46. Wellesley College
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A young woman working in a class.
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- Location: Omaha, NE
- Acceptance rate: 44%
- Overall Niche grade: A-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $14,265
- Typical SAT range: Not available

#45. College of Saint Mary
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A white stone building and sign at the University of St. Francis.
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- Location: Joliet, IL
- Acceptance rate: 64%
- Overall Niche grade: B
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $16,455
- Typical SAT range: 900-1170

#44. University of St. Francis - Illinois
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A stone sign for Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
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- Location: Terre Haute, IN
- Acceptance rate: 73%
- Overall Niche grade: A-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $44,016
- Typical SAT range: 1280-1470

#43. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
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Main Hall at Wagner College.
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- Location: Staten Island, NY
- Acceptance rate: 83%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $28,109
- Typical SAT range: 1150-1320

#42. Wagner College
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An empty lecture hall.
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- Location: Clinton, NY
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,021
- Typical SAT range: 1410-1550

#41. Hamilton College
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Two adirondack chairs overlooking Fall foliage at Middlebury College.
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- Location: Middlebury, VT
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $22,912
- Typical SAT range: 1430-1550

#40. Middlebury College
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Gothic architecture at the University of Chicago.
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- Location: Chicago, IL
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $27,979
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1570

#39. University of Chicago
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Molloy University President and students.
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- Location: Rockville Centre, NY
- Acceptance rate: 76%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $25,938
- Typical SAT range: 1080-1310

#38. Molloy University
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A historic church.
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- Location: Washington, DC
- Acceptance rate: 13%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $37,967
- Typical SAT range: 1390-1550

#37. Georgetown University
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A dark stone building at Boston college.
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- Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
- Acceptance rate: 16%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $32,590
- Typical SAT range: 1430-1540

#36. Boston College
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A professor teaching a class.
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- Location: Fremont, CA
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Overall Niche grade: C+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $23,984
- Typical SAT range: Not available

#35. Unitek College - Fremont
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An empty college classroom.
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- Location: Morristown, NJ
- Acceptance rate: 77%
- Overall Niche grade: B
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $18,412
- Typical SAT range: 890-1100

#34. Saint Elizabeth University
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Bowdoin College.
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- Location: Brunswick, ME
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $23,110
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1550

#33. Bowdoin College
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Fall at Berea College.
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- Location: Berea, KY
- Acceptance rate: 33%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $4,379
- Typical SAT range: 1160-1340

#32. Berea College
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A book open on a library table.
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- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Acceptance rate: 74%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $13,016
- Typical SAT range: 950-1140

#31. Holy Family University
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A red brick building with a clocktower.
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- Location: Providence, RI
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,608
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#30. Brown University
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A young woman working on a laptop in a library.
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- Location: 4 Year (Online)
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Overall Niche grade: B+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $10,322
- Typical SAT range: Not available

#29. American Public University System
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Washington Hall at Washington and Lee University.
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- Location: Lexington, VA
- Acceptance rate: 17%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $24,667
- Typical SAT range: 1410-1530

#28. Washington and Lee University
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A stone building at Lehigh University.
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- Location: Bethlehem, PA
- Acceptance rate: 29%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $33,289
- Typical SAT range: 1350-1490

#27. Lehigh University
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Western Governors University.
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- Location: 4 Year (Online)
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Overall Niche grade: B-
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $9,555
- Typical SAT range: Not available

#26. Western Governors University
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An aerial view of Cornell.
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- Location: Ithaca, NY
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,455
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

#25. Cornell University
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A nursing student.
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- Location: New York, NY
- Acceptance rate: 24%
- Overall Niche grade: unavailable
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $37,732
- Typical SAT range: Not available

#24. Helene Fuld College of Nursing
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A historic stone building with a clocktower.
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- Location: Nashville, TN
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $26,689
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1560

#23. Vanderbilt University
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A historic building with a golden dome.
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- Location: Notre Dame, IN
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $29,083
- Typical SAT range: 1440-1540

#22. University of Notre Dame
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An aerial view of Williams College.
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- Location: Williamstown, MA
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $16,988
- Typical SAT range: 1470-1560

#21. Williams College
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Northwestern University across the water.
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- Location: Evanston, IL
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A
- Net price: $23,341
- Typical SAT range: 1490-1560

#20. Northwestern University
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Columbia University.
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- Location: New York, NY
- Acceptance rate: 4%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $20,869
- Typical SAT range: 1490-1570

#19. Columbia University
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Students walking in front of Johns Hopkins University.
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- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $22,844
- Typical SAT range: 1530-1580

#18. Johns Hopkins University
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Colorful flowers in front of Swarthmore College.
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- Location: Swarthmore, PA
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,930
- Typical SAT range: 1460-1560

#17. Swarthmore College
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Johnson Chapel tower at Amherst College.
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- Location: Amherst, MA
- Acceptance rate: 10%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,965
- Typical SAT range: 1360-1550

#16. Amherst College
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A stone building at Duke University.
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- Location: Durham, NC
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $23,422
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1570

#15. Duke University
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A historic stone building.
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- Location: Saint Louis, MO
- Acceptance rate: 12%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $22,440
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#14. Washington University in St. Louis
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Rice University on a sunny day.
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- Location: Houston, TX
- Acceptance rate: 8%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $20,587
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#13. Rice University
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University of Pennsylvania.
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- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $26,017
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#12. University of Pennsylvania
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Historic white stone buildings.
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- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $32,964
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#11. Carnegie Mellon University
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Students sitting on a green lawn on campus.
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- Location: New Haven, CT
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $26,044
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

#10. Yale University
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Claremont McKenna College sign.
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- Location: Claremont, CA
- Acceptance rate: 11%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $29,978
- Typical SAT range: 1450-1560

#9. Claremont McKenna College
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Students on a lawn in front of a red stone building with a clocktower.
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- Location: Hanover, NH
- Acceptance rate: 6%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,322
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1570

#8. Dartmouth College
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Pomona College.
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- Location: Claremont, CA
- Acceptance rate: 7%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,423
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

#7. Pomona College
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Purple blooming trees in front of Princeton.
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- Location: Princeton, NJ
- Acceptance rate: 4%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $19,811
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

#6. Princeton University
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Historic buildings at Harvard.
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- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Acceptance rate: 3%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,900
- Typical SAT range: 1500-1580

#5. Harvard University
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Stanford lined with palm trees.
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- Location: Stanford, CA
- Acceptance rate: 4%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $17,998
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1580

#4. Stanford University
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Modern and abstract art and buildings.
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- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Acceptance rate: 5%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $21,519
- Typical SAT range: 1510-1580

#3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Harvey Mudd College.
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- Location: Claremont, CA
- Acceptance rate: 13%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $42,720
- Typical SAT range: 1480-1560

#2. Harvey Mudd College
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Beckman Institute at the California Institute of Technology.
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- Location: Pasadena, CA
- Acceptance rate: 3%
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Net price: $23,397
- Typical SAT range: 1530-1580

Story updated by Isabel Sepulveda and Madison Troyer.

#1. California Institute of Technology
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