National hub · DOE College Scorecard
Cheapest Colleges by State
According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, every state's cheapest colleges by real average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not sticker tuition.
- 51
- States + DC ranked
- 4,827
- Schools covered
- $17,083
- National median net price
Data updated June 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage
The map in one line
New Mexico has the lowest median net price of any state at $9,165, while District of Columbia's median runs $20,396 higher at $29,561, and the national median across 4,942 schools sits at $17,083.
- $9,165
- New Mexico, lowest state median
- $29,561
- District of Columbia, highest state median
- $17,083
- national median net price
- 51
- states with a dedicated ranking
Ranked by state MEDIAN net price (not the single cheapest school), so one outlier institution cannot make a whole state look artificially cheap or expensive. States or territories with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting schools are not shown.
Every state, ranked by median net price
| # | State | State median net price | Cheapest school's price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama 65 schools ranked · cheapest: George C Wallace Community College-Dothan | $15,258 48% of the leader · rank #1 | $1,170 |
| 2 | Alaska 10 schools ranked · cheapest: Ilisagvik College | $15,301 48% of the leader · rank #2 | $6,743 |
| 3 | Arizona 80 schools ranked · cheapest: Pima Community College | $20,861 29% of the leader · rank #3 | $3,405 |
| 4 | Arkansas 69 schools ranked · cheapest: Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas | $14,060 52% of the leader · rank #4 | $4,385 |
| 5 | California 491 schools ranked · cheapest: Moorpark College | $20,161 32% of the leader · rank #5 | Aid covers full cost |
| 6 | Colorado 67 schools ranked · cheapest: Technical College of the Rockies | $17,052 42% of the leader · rank #6 | $3,796 |
| 7 | Connecticut 48 schools ranked · cheapest: Branford Academy of Hair and Cosmetology | $21,634 27% of the leader · rank #7 | $4,271 |
| 8 | Delaware 12 schools ranked · cheapest: All In The Wrist Barber Academy | $15,644 47% of the leader · rank #8 | $4,993 |
| 9 | District of Columbia 11 schools ranked · cheapest: Trinity Washington University | $29,561 4% of the leader · rank #9 | $9,302 |
| 10 | Florida 263 schools ranked · cheapest: North Florida College | $19,849 33% of the leader · rank #10 | $804 |
| 11 | Georgia 123 schools ranked · cheapest: Atlanta Technical College | $16,482 44% of the leader · rank #11 | Aid covers full cost |
| 12 | Hawaii 18 schools ranked · cheapest: Leeward Community College | $11,856 60% of the leader · rank #12 | $5,137 |
| 13 | Idaho 29 schools ranked · cheapest: College of Southern Idaho | $18,788 36% of the leader · rank #13 | $6,095 |
| 14 | Illinois 178 schools ranked · cheapest: Joliet Junior College | $16,000 46% of the leader · rank #14 | $1,672 |
| 15 | Indiana 91 schools ranked · cheapest: Indiana University-Kokomo | $19,540 34% of the leader · rank #15 | $3,968 |
| 16 | Iowa 68 schools ranked · cheapest: La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology | $17,813 40% of the leader · rank #16 | $4,522 |
| 17 | Kansas 71 schools ranked · cheapest: Haskell Indian Nations University | $15,280 48% of the leader · rank #17 | $3,134 |
| 18 | Kentucky 77 schools ranked · cheapest: Hazard Community and Technical College | $16,512 44% of the leader · rank #18 | $2,955 |
| 19 | Louisiana 97 schools ranked · cheapest: Infinity College | $14,810 50% of the leader · rank #19 | $230 |
| 20 | Maine 31 schools ranked · cheapest: Kennebec Valley Community College | $17,510 41% of the leader · rank #20 | $3,910 |
| 21 | Maryland 66 schools ranked · cheapest: Carroll Community College | $17,140 42% of the leader · rank #21 | $2,725 |
| 22 | Massachusetts 117 schools ranked · cheapest: Middlesex Community College | $24,402 17% of the leader · rank #22 | $2,624 |
| 23 | Michigan 136 schools ranked · cheapest: Henry Ford College | $17,124 42% of the leader · rank #23 | $660 |
| 24 | Minnesota 81 schools ranked · cheapest: White Earth Tribal and Community College | $16,863 43% of the leader · rank #24 | $1,811 |
| 25 | Mississippi 48 schools ranked · cheapest: Coahoma Community College | $13,265 55% of the leader · rank #25 | Aid covers full cost |
| 26 | Missouri 115 schools ranked · cheapest: Kirksville Area Technical Center | $17,598 40% of the leader · rank #26 | $1,699 |
| 27 | Montana 25 schools ranked · cheapest: Fort Peck Community College | $12,664 57% of the leader · rank #27 | $400 |
| 28 | Nebraska 35 schools ranked · cheapest: Metropolitan Community College Area | $16,590 44% of the leader · rank #28 | $4,982 |
| 29 | Nevada 29 schools ranked · cheapest: College of Southern Nevada | $22,923 22% of the leader · rank #29 | $6,615 |
| 30 | New Hampshire 26 schools ranked · cheapest: Empire Beauty School-Somersworth | $18,489 37% of the leader · rank #30 | $9,170 |
| 31 | New Jersey 129 schools ranked · cheapest: Middlesex College | $18,173 39% of the leader · rank #31 | $2,288 |
| 32 | New Mexico 40 schools ranked · cheapest: New Mexico State University-Grants | $9,165 69% of the leader · rank #32 | $68 |
| 33 | New York 323 schools ranked · cheapest: Talmudical Seminary of Bobov | $17,940 39% of the leader · rank #33 | $2,840 |
| 34 | North Carolina 145 schools ranked · cheapest: Wilkes Community College | $14,086 52% of the leader · rank #34 | Aid covers full cost |
| 35 | North Dakota 24 schools ranked · cheapest: Turtle Mountain Community College | $12,773 57% of the leader · rank #35 | $3,428 |
| 36 | Ohio 226 schools ranked · cheapest: Ohio Business College-Dayton-Driving Academy | $17,822 40% of the leader · rank #36 | $1,889 |
| 37 | Oklahoma 83 schools ranked · cheapest: Western Technology Center | $12,148 59% of the leader · rank #37 | Aid covers full cost |
| 38 | Oregon 55 schools ranked · cheapest: Tillamook Bay Community College | $16,732 43% of the leader · rank #38 | $5,405 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania 262 schools ranked · cheapest: Williamson College of the Trades | $19,986 32% of the leader · rank #39 | $1,545 |
| 40 | Rhode Island 19 schools ranked · cheapest: Community College of Rhode Island | $25,666 13% of the leader · rank #40 | $6,513 |
| 41 | South Carolina 80 schools ranked · cheapest: Trident Technical College | $16,525 44% of the leader · rank #41 | $1,406 |
| 42 | South Dakota 20 schools ranked · cheapest: Oglala Lakota College | $18,146 39% of the leader · rank #42 | $1,895 |
| 43 | Tennessee 124 schools ranked · cheapest: Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Crump | $15,269 48% of the leader · rank #43 | Aid covers full cost |
| 44 | Texas 334 schools ranked · cheapest: College of Biblical Studies-Houston | $18,267 38% of the leader · rank #44 | $672 |
| 45 | Utah 45 schools ranked · cheapest: Bridgerland Technical College | $18,659 37% of the leader · rank #45 | $2,338 |
| 46 | Vermont 11 schools ranked · cheapest: Community College of Vermont | $25,239 15% of the leader · rank #46 | $13,696 |
| 47 | Virginia 106 schools ranked · cheapest: Virginia Beach City Public Schools School of Practical Nursing | $19,096 35% of the leader · rank #47 | $1,317 |
| 48 | Washington 82 schools ranked · cheapest: Northwest Indian College | $14,091 52% of the leader · rank #48 | $3,136 |
| 49 | West Virginia 60 schools ranked · cheapest: Ralph R Willis Career and Technical Center | $9,988 66% of the leader · rank #49 | Aid covers full cost |
| 50 | Wisconsin 72 schools ranked · cheapest: Nicolet Area Technical College | $16,250 45% of the leader · rank #50 | $8,255 |
| 51 | Wyoming 10 schools ranked · cheapest: Eastern Wyoming College | $9,593 68% of the leader · rank #51 | $4,764 |
Best-value colleges (earnings vs. cost) →
Ranked by graduate earnings relative to net price and debt, not price alone.
Find your school's in-state rank →
See any school's net-price rank among in-state peers and its four nearest-cost comparisons.
Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. State median is the middle value among that state's ranked schools, so a single very cheap or very expensive outlier cannot skew the state-level comparison. Only states and DC with at least 10 net-price-reporting institutions get a dedicated ranking page; territories are covered in the campus-safety state comparison but not in this cost ranking.
A few states show "Aid covers full cost" for their cheapest school instead of a dollar figure. This reflects real federal data, not a display error, see that state's page for the explanation.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
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