20 Most Affordable Colleges (photos)

Due to scholarships, loans, grants, and other forms of financial aid, different students pay vastly different tuition depending on the school, their financial situation, and their previous academic performance. So The Daily Beast determined which schools are the most affordable by using a simple metric. We compared schools based on the average net price students paid after need-based aid; this accounted for 80 percent of the final ranking. The rest was determined by the percentage of students who graduate within six years.

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Atlanta, Georgia

6-Year Grad Rate: 78.9%

Average Net Price: $8,445

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3.3%

Average Debt of Graduates: $23,427

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 50%

Ethan Trewhitt

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Athens, Georgia

6-Year Grad Rate: 82.4%

Average Net Price: $9,693

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3.5%

Average Debt of Graduates: $18,569

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 46%

Scott Cunningham/Getty

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Chapel Hill, North Carolina

6-Year Grad Rate: 89%

Average Net Price: $11,028

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 1.6%

Average Debt of Graduates: $17,525

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 37%

Lance King/Replay Photos via Getty

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Charlottesville, Virginia

6-Year Grad Rate: 93.9%

Average Net Price: $11,590

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 2.9%

Average Debt of Graduates: $20,951

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 35%

Lance King/Replay Photos via Getty

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Gainesville, Florida

6-Year Grad Rate: 83.7%

Average Net Price: $11,579

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3.8%

Average Debt of Graduates: $16,841

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 39%

Sam Greenwood/Getty

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Williamsburg, Virginia

6-Year Grad Rate: 90.7%

Average Net Price: $12,660

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 1.1%

Average Debt of Graduates: $21,267

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 38%

Peter Aaron/PRNewsFoto/The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary/AP

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La Jolla, California

6-Year Grad Rate: 85.3%

Average Net Price: $12,621

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3.8%

Average Debt of Graduates: $19,936

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 50%

Barry Winiker/Getty

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East Lansing, Michigan

6-Year Grad Rate: 77.3%

Average Net Price: $12,366

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 5.9%

Average Debt of Graduates: $23,725

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 45%

Al Goldis/AP

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Harrisonburg, Virginia

6-Year Grad Rate: 81.4%

Average Net Price: $12,875

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 2.9%

Average Debt of Graduates: $22,128

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 52%

Steve Helber/AP

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Irvine, California

6-Year Grad Rate: 84.64%

Average Net Price: $13,217

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3.5%

Average Debt of Graduates: $18,719

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 49

Tony Avelar/The Christian Science Monitor/Getty

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Newark, Delaware

6-Year Grad Rate: 78.4%

Average Net Price: $13,376

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 4.3%

Average Debt of Graduates: $31,002

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 58%

RDECOM/Flickr

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College Park, Maryland

6-Year Grad Rate: 81.8%

Average Net Price: $13,625

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 4.2%

Average Debt of Graduates: $24,180

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 44%

Richard T. Nowitz/Corbis

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Davis, California

6-Year Grad Rate: 81.7%

Average Net Price: $14,072

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 4.1%

Average Debt of Graduates: $18,386

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 52%

Billy Hustace/Corbis

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Los Angeles, California

6-Year Grad Rate: 90%

Average Net Price: $14474

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3.1%

Average Debt of Graduates: $18814

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 44%

Renault Philippe/Hemis/Corbis

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Austin, Texas

6-Year Grad Rate: 80.9%

Average Net Price: $14,629

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 5.5%

Average Debt of Graduates: $25,227

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 49%

Ronald Martinez/Getty

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Madison, Wisconsin

6-Year Grad Rate: 82%

Average Net Price: $14,940

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 1.6%

Average Debt of Graduates: $24,140

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 48%

Jonathan Daniel/Getty

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Santa Barbara, California

6-Year Grad Rate: 79.8%

Average Net Price: $14,890

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 4.3%

Average Debt of Graduates: $18,627

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 49%

Courtesy of UCSB

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Geneseo, New York

6-Year Grad Rate: 80.9%

Average Net Price: $15,029

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3%

Average Debt of Graduates: $21,000

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 67%

Keith Walters

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Berkeley, California

6-Year Grad Rate: 90.5%

Average Net Price: $15,589

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3. 8%

Average Debt of Graduates: $17,116

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 42%

Paul Sakuma/AP

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Champaign, Illinois

6-Year Grad Rate: 82.5%

Average Net Price: $15,610

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3.4%

Average Debt of Graduates: $22,975

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 52%

Joe Robbins/Getty

20 Most Affordable Colleges (photos)

The price of admission is no joke. These are the schools where getting a diploma won’t totally break the bank.

The Daily Beast