Want to study in the United States? Tertiary education comes with a hefty price, which is why many people focus on the value they will get when applying for a university. We’ve compiled a top 10 list of best value universities in terms of quality, net price and access for lower-income students.
10. Rice University
Touted as one of the top-ranked research universities, Rice University is located in Houston, Texas. They have a 6 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio which ensures focused classroom settings. Rice University offers up to 50 majors and has a small undergraduate population of around 4,000 students. They offer generous financial aid packages, doling out $89 million in grant and scholarship aid in 2018-2019. Its alumni includes billionaire venture capitalist John Doerr, and astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has spent more time in space than any other American.
9. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina is one of the first public universities, and is considered to be set in one of the best college towns in the US. It offers a variety of programs under both arts and sciences and is active in the global community. With around 19,000 students, UNC-Chapel Hill offers both needs-based and merit-based scholarships to them. Basketball legend Michael Jordan and US President James K. Polk are part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s alumni.
8. Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College has a unique year-round calendar of four 10-week terms, which allows its students to choose when to study, travel, research and work. It blends world-class research university resources with a college’s focus on undergraduate programmes and allows students to combine their areas of academic interests with their majors. 48% of the students in Dartmouth College receive financial aid. Poet Robert Frost and writer Dr. Seuss attended the college.
7. Williams College
Students of Williams College, Massachusetts, need to take classes from each three of its academic departments: arts and humanities, social sciences, and science and mathematics, as well as intensive writing courses and a course that examines cultural diversity. It has a small student population, but is known for academic rigor. Over $50 million is given to students and more than half of the population receives financial aid. Notable alumni include US President James A. Garfield and AOL co founder Steve Case.
6. Duke University
Duke University’s Levine Science Research Center is known as the largest single-site interdisciplinary research facility in the US. Located in North Carolina, it has outposts in China and Singapore as well. Known for its athletics, Duke has 15,000 students, the majority of them being postgraduate students. Around half of the undergraduate students receive financial aid, and Duke claims to meet 100% of a student’s demonstrated financial need. Its long list of former students include billionaire Melinda Gates and NBA star Kyrie Irving.
5. Yale University
A member of the Ivy League, Yale University in Connecticut offers its undergraduates a liberal arts curriculum which lets students think and learn across multiple disciplines before deciding on a major. Yale extends financial aid to all students regardless of citizenship, and is dedicated to providing an affordable education. Yale graduates include five US presidents: William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
4. Harvard University
Harvard University in Massachusetts is the oldest higher education institution in the US and has the largest academic library in the world. With over 21,000 students, 60% of them are on financial aid as it has a hefty endowment. Harvard offers 50 different concentrations and 400 different student organizations to choose from. Vice president Al Gore and actress Natalie Portman graduated from Harvard. Some of the most successful people like Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are Harvard dropouts.
3. Stanford University
Conducting more than 6,000 externally-sponsored projects and boasting a $1.63 billion research budget, Stanford University, California is considered as a major hub for research. It is the largest university campus in the US, with 18 interdisciplinary research institutes and sever schools. Almost half of its 11,000 students receive financial aid. The university has produced a number of impressive people including billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel and Instagram co founder Kevin Systorm.
2. University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley is considered to be the forefront of technology and innovation. It has contributed to many scientific breakthroughs like the first flu vaccine, global malaria treatment and the CRISPR gene editing. With an undergraduate enrollment of around 30,000 students, 65% of the students receive financial aid. Berkeley faculty members are consistently the leaders in their field, and its alumni include Apple co founder Steve Wozniak and co founder of Intel Corporation Gordon Moore.
1. Princeton University
With 26 Nobel prize winners as members of the faculty and staff, Princeton University in New Jersey is the foremost research university in the US. It has a small student body of less than 10,000 students, and the student to faculty ratio of 5:1. Princeton offers undergraduate and graduate education in various areas of interests. It is well known for its robust financial aid, as 60% of students receive it, loan-free. Michelle Obama, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos and Google CEO Eric Schmidt are notable graduates from Princeton.
