State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard
Cheapest Colleges in District of Columbia
According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, 11 District of Columbia colleges ranked by average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not the published sticker price.
- $9,302
- Cheapest net price
- $29,561
- District of Columbia median
- 11
- Schools ranked
Data updated June 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage
The list in one line
Trinity Washington University has the lowest average net price in District of Columbia at $9,302/year, and the state's median net price is 73% above the $17,083 national median across 4,942 schools.
- $9,302
- cheapest ranked net price
- $29,561
- District of Columbia median net price
- 1 public / 10 private
- schools in this ranking
- $19,004
- 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 George Washington University, where in-state published tuition of $67,710 falls to an average net price of $36,586 after aid, a $31,124 gap. This is the widest sticker-to-net-price gap among ranked District of Columbia schools, and a reminder that published tuition alone is a poor guide to what most admitted students actually pay.
Across all 11 ranked District of Columbia schools, 1 are public institutions and 10 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.
District of Columbia's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trinity Washington University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit | $9,302 82% of the leader · rank #1 | $7,928 | $28,250 | $38,533 | 1,865 |
| 2 | University of the District of Columbia Washington, DC · Public | $10,648 79% of the leader · rank #2 | $10,268 | $24,872 | $36,358 | 3,855 |
| 3 | Bennett Career Institute Washington, DC · Private for-profit | $11,824 77% of the leader · rank #3 | $11,646 | $6,333 | $18,653 | 177 |
| 4 | Gallaudet University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit | $15,845 69% of the leader · rank #4 | $14,129 | $18,000 | $36,578 | 1,364 |
| 5 | The Salon Professional Academy-Washington DC Washington, DC · Private for-profit | $17,528 65% of the leader · rank #5 | $17,528 | $6,333 | $29,764 | 117 |
| 6 | The Catholic University of America Washington, DC · Private nonprofit | $29,561 42% of the leader · rank #6 | $17,358 | $26,000 | $63,217 | 5,171 |
| 7 | George Washington University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit | $36,586 28% of the leader · rank #7 | $17,440 | $20,449 | $71,607 | 25,568 |
| 8 | Saint Michael College of Allied Health Washington, DC · Private for-profit | $38,751 23% of the leader · rank #8 | $38,399 | $17,713 | $66,681 | 123 |
| 9 | Georgetown University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit | $40,815 19% of the leader · rank #9 | $5,064 | $15,500 | $83,222 | 20,392 |
| 10 | American University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit | $41,943 17% of the leader · rank #10 | $23,233 | $22,750 | $61,328 | 13,019 |
| 11 | Howard University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit | $50,539 4% of the leader · rank #11 | $46,051 | $24,500 | $47,379 | 13,416 |
Related
What this means for you
Use District of Columbia's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.
- Trinity Washington University reports the lowest average net price in District of Columbia, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View Trinity Washington University
- See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
- Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. District of Columbia 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.