EDsmart’s ranking of the cheapest public universities is the most comprehensive and well-rounded to date. The ranking includes only fully accredited schools.
Schools considered for this ranking were collected from official accrediting agency websites, and are regionally or nationally accredited.
Pulling data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), colleges were evaluated based on their affordability.
As part of the rankings, EDsmart also published detailed profiles outlining each school on its list. Students can use these profiles to evaluate each school’s net prices, accreditation, and other helpful information.
“The cheapest public universities ranking allows students to compare accredited programs and find those that best fit their education interests and career goals,” said EDsmart’s spokesperson. “Beyond providing affordable education, a college is not successful if it does not graduate its students, which is why EDsmart rankings often place a high value on outcomes, including graduation and retention rates, and post-graduation earnings.”
The EDsmart 2022 ranking for the cheapest public universities ranksCUNY–City College #1 as the best college offering with The University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley and California State University–Fresno following.
The complete rankings are as follows:
1. CUNY–City College
2. The University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley
3. California State University–Fresno
4. Florida International University
5. University of South Florida
6. Marshall University
7. University of New Orleans
8. University of Puerto Rico–Rio Piedras
9. Louisiana Tech University
10. Ferris State University
11. Delaware State University
12. University of Memphis
13. Arkansas State University
14. Valdosta State University
15. Wichita State University
16. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
17. Washburn University
18. Jackson State University
19. University of Arkansas at Little Rock
20. University of Southern Mississippi
21. Florida A&M University
22. Metropolitan State University of Minneapolis-St. Paul
23. University of Central Arkansas
24. University of North Dakota
25. Eastern Michigan University
26. Tennessee Tech University
27. Central Michigan University
28. North Dakota State University
29. Missouri State University
30. Wright State University
31. Southern Illinois University–Carbondale
32. University of Maryland Eastern Shore
33. Cleveland State University
34. Morgan State University
35. University of Akron
36. Northern Illinois University
37. Bowling Green State University
38. University of South Dakota
39. South Dakota State University
40. Western Michigan University
41. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
42. Indiana University of Pennsylvania
University response to EDsmart rankings has been very positive. Sharing the rankings on their websites and via social media has helped schools attract new students and excite existing students and alumni.
The rankings and data were produced for EDsmart, a leading higher education research organization. All evaluated data was gathered from IPEDs, the U.S. Department of Higher Education, school websites, and other reputable sources.
The rankings have been published at https://www.edsmart.org/cheapest-public-universities/
About EDsmart
EDsmart reviews publicly available data to produce independent ranking assessments of various educational programs, in addition to student guides and resources. The site is regularly updated by a committed team of writers and researchers, who produce college rankings and resources that will help prospective and current college students get into, pay for, and thrive at the college of their choice.
Media ContactCompany Name: EDsmartContact Person: Tyson StevensEmail: Send EmailPhone: (707) 595-0736City: DraperState: UTCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://www.edsmart.org/