State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard
Cheapest Colleges in Connecticut
According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, 48 Connecticut colleges ranked by average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not the published sticker price.
- $4,271
- Cheapest net price
- $21,634
- Connecticut median
- 48
- Schools ranked
Data updated June 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage
The list in one line
Branford Academy of Hair and Cosmetology has the lowest average net price in Connecticut at $4,271/year, and the state's median net price is 27% above the $17,083 national median across 4,942 schools.
- $4,271
- cheapest ranked net price
- $21,634
- Connecticut median net price
- 11 public / 37 private
- schools in this ranking
- $20,098
- avg net price, <$30K income families
Average net price is the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, not counting loans that must be repaid. A very low figure at a specialty or religious institution can reflect a narrow enrollment mix rather than typical affordability, check the sector label and enrollment before comparing.
Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at Yale University, where in-state published tuition of $67,250 falls to an average net price of $23,777 after aid, a $43,473 gap. This is the widest sticker-to-net-price gap among ranked Connecticut schools, and a reminder that published tuition alone is a poor guide to what most admitted students actually pay.
Across all 48 ranked Connecticut schools, 11 are public institutions and 37 are private (nonprofit or for-profit). Sector is shown next to every school below because a low sticker-adjacent price at a small religious, seminary, or specialty school can reflect an unusual enrollment mix rather than broad affordability, check enrollment and sector before drawing conclusions from rank alone.
Average net price also blends every income bracket into one figure, so a family's own bracket can land well above or below the number shown here. Federal reporting requires an institution to have enough surveyed aid recipients in a bracket before that bracket is published, so a very small school can show only a partial income-bracket breakdown even when its overall average net price is fully reported. Use the school's own profile page for the full income-bracket table before treating a single average as a personal cost estimate.
Connecticut's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Branford Academy of Hair and Cosmetology Branford, CT · Private for-profit | $4,271 91% of the leader · rank #1 | $4,271 | $6,333 | - | 39 |
| 2 | Belle Academy of Cosmetology LLC Waterbury, CT · Private for-profit | $6,638 86% of the leader · rank #2 | $6,638 | - | - | 12 |
| 3 | Holy Apostles College and Seminary Cromwell, CT · Private nonprofit | $10,117 79% of the leader · rank #3 | $10,117 | $12,541 | - | 709 |
| 4 | University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT · Public | $10,875 77% of the leader · rank #4 | $5,604 | $21,500 | $63,322 | 760 |
| 5 | Oxford Academy of Hair Design Inc Seymour, CT · Private for-profit | $11,408 76% of the leader · rank #5 | $11,408 | $6,333 | - | 140 |
| 6 | Connecticut State Community College Hartford, CT · Public | $11,513 76% of the leader · rank #6 | $11,009 | $9,200 | $35,849 | 34,991 |
| 7 | Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology Wallingford, CT · Private for-profit | $12,607 74% of the leader · rank #7 | $12,607 | $6,333 | $19,530 | 188 |
| 8 | University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT · Public | $13,807 71% of the leader · rank #8 | $8,996 | $21,500 | $63,322 | 474 |
| 9 | TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown Newtown, CT · Private for-profit | $14,380 70% of the leader · rank #9 | $11,314 | $9,833 | - | 96 |
| 10 | New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Connecticut Somers, CT · Private for-profit | $15,284 68% of the leader · rank #10 | $14,783 | $6,333 | $46,838 | 293 |
| 11 | Dolce The Academy Waterbury, CT · Private for-profit | $15,318 68% of the leader · rank #11 | $15,318 | $9,833 | - | 42 |
| 12 | Charter Oak State College New Britain, CT · Public | $15,815 67% of the leader · rank #12 | - | $18,683 | $53,779 | 1,766 |
| 13 | New England Tractor Trailer Training School of CT-Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT · Private for-profit | $16,191 66% of the leader · rank #13 | $15,947 | $6,333 | $46,838 | 517 |
| 14 | University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT · Public | $16,403 66% of the leader · rank #14 | $9,625 | $21,500 | $63,322 | 1,494 |
| 15 | TIGI Hairdressing Academy Guilford Guilford, CT · Private for-profit | $16,406 66% of the leader · rank #15 | $14,205 | $9,833 | - | 63 |
| 16 | International Institute of Cosmetology Wethersfield, CT · Private for-profit | $16,590 66% of the leader · rank #16 | $14,467 | $9,833 | - | 184 |
| 17 | University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT · Public | $16,798 65% of the leader · rank #17 | $11,632 | $21,500 | $63,322 | 2,240 |
| 18 | Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT · Public | $16,857 65% of the leader · rank #18 | $13,589 | $22,300 | $49,016 | 9,712 |
| 19 | Western Connecticut State University Danbury, CT · Public | $17,604 63% of the leader · rank #19 | $13,507 | $24,147 | $45,997 | 4,137 |
| 20 | Porter & Chester Institute Bridgeport, CT · Private for-profit | $18,348 62% of the leader · rank #20 | $17,540 | $12,000 | $37,807 | 1,405 |
| 21 | American Institute-West Hartford West Hartford, CT · Private for-profit | $19,316 60% of the leader · rank #21 | $19,220 | $11,979 | $25,543 | 396 |
| 22 | Porter & Chester Institute of Hamden Hamden, CT · Private for-profit | $20,549 57% of the leader · rank #22 | $19,045 | $12,350 | $41,103 | 333 |
| 23 | Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT · Public | $20,857 57% of the leader · rank #23 | $17,736 | $22,250 | $45,422 | 8,820 |
| 24 | Eastern Connecticut State University Willimantic, CT · Public | $21,067 56% of the leader · rank #24 | $17,654 | $24,250 | $47,289 | 3,979 |
| 25 | Post University Waterbury, CT · Private for-profit | $21,634 55% of the leader · rank #25 | $22,103 | $30,157 | $31,401 | 21,699 |
See all 48 ranked Connecticut schools →
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Yale University New Haven, CT · Private nonprofit | $23,777 51% of the leader · rank #26 | $17,633 | $12,975 | $81,765 | 15,081 |
| 27 | University of Connecticut Storrs, CT · Public | $25,097 48% of the leader · rank #27 | $15,193 | $21,500 | $63,322 | 27,364 |
| 28 | Lincoln Technical Institute-East Windsor East Windsor, CT · Private for-profit | $27,006 44% of the leader · rank #28 | $25,620 | $11,250 | $36,485 | 971 |
| 29 | University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT · Private nonprofit | $27,807 42% of the leader · rank #29 | $27,238 | $25,750 | $38,575 | 4,103 |
| 30 | University of Saint Joseph West Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit | $27,989 42% of the leader · rank #30 | $24,563 | $27,000 | $52,053 | 1,939 |
| 31 | Paul Mitchell the School-North Haven North Haven, CT · Private for-profit | $28,813 40% of the leader · rank #31 | $28,016 | $6,333 | - | 191 |
| 32 | Goodwin University East Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit | $29,249 39% of the leader · rank #32 | $28,205 | $33,500 | $40,230 | 3,034 |
| 33 | Branford Academy of Hair & Cosmetology-Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT · Private for-profit | $30,086 37% of the leader · rank #33 | $30,086 | $6,333 | - | 36 |
| 34 | Wesleyan University Middletown, CT · Private nonprofit | $30,177 37% of the leader · rank #34 | $4,871 | $17,000 | $60,385 | 3,271 |
| 35 | Mitchell College New London, CT · Private nonprofit | $30,260 37% of the leader · rank #35 | $26,485 | $25,150 | $35,330 | 500 |
| 36 | University of Hartford West Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit | $30,282 37% of the leader · rank #36 | $25,925 | $27,000 | $42,581 | 5,913 |
| 37 | American Institute of Healthcare & Technology Stratford, CT · Private for-profit | $32,821 32% of the leader · rank #37 | $33,254 | $7,125 | - | 94 |
| 38 | Lincoln Technical Institute-New Britain New Britain, CT · Private for-profit | $33,240 31% of the leader · rank #38 | $32,632 | $11,250 | $36,485 | 783 |
| 39 | Albertus Magnus College New Haven, CT · Private nonprofit | $34,028 29% of the leader · rank #39 | $35,343 | $30,964 | $47,153 | 1,161 |
| 40 | University of New Haven West Haven, CT · Private nonprofit | $34,192 29% of the leader · rank #40 | $27,837 | $27,000 | $49,829 | 9,830 |
| 41 | Cortiva Institute Cromwell, CT · Private for-profit | $34,436 28% of the leader · rank #41 | $34,436 | $11,259 | $25,386 | 220 |
| 42 | Trinity College Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit | $34,832 28% of the leader · rank #42 | $11,054 | $23,000 | $67,628 | 2,276 |
| 43 | Connecticut College New London, CT · Private nonprofit | $36,175 25% of the leader · rank #43 | $13,341 | $23,500 | $49,165 | 1,995 |
| 44 | Lincoln Technical Institute-Shelton Shelton, CT · Private for-profit | $38,521 20% of the leader · rank #44 | $37,400 | $11,250 | $36,485 | 798 |
| 45 | Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT · Private nonprofit | $40,675 15% of the leader · rank #45 | $33,649 | $26,000 | $65,744 | 8,918 |
| 46 | Industrial Management Training Institute Waterbury, CT · Private for-profit | $42,758 11% of the leader · rank #46 | $41,484 | $9,500 | $46,512 | 29 |
| 47 | Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT · Private nonprofit | $46,174 4% of the leader · rank #47 | $38,691 | $25,000 | $63,925 | 11,179 |
| 48 | Fairfield University Fairfield, CT · Private nonprofit | $48,095 4% of the leader · rank #48 | $33,302 | $26,000 | $73,693 | 6,289 |
What this means for you
Use Connecticut's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.
- Branford Academy of Hair and Cosmetology reports the lowest average net price in Connecticut, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View Branford Academy of
- See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
- Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. Connecticut safety
Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.
Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.
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.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.