However, that doesn't mean we can't try.
To come up with the "best colleges for your money "— defined as schools that offer "a great education, at an affordable price, that prepares students for rewarding careers" — MONEY ranked 705 four-year colleges in the US with over 500 students and a median-or-above graduation rate on 24 factors within three broad categories:
educational qualityaffordabilityalumni successSee the full methodology at MONEY.
Below, we've included MONEY's estimated price of the 2016-2017 school year without aid, the estimated price of the same year with the average amount of aid, and the "early career earnings" (a weighted calculation taken from various reports of graduate earnings five and ten years after graduation) for each of the top 15 schools.
See the full ranking of 705 schools at MONEY.
15. University of Florida
Gainesville, Illinois
Annual price without aid: $21,400
Annual price with average aid: $15,500
Early career earnings: $49,700
14. UC San Diego
La Jolla, California
Annual price without aid: $32,500
Annual price with average aid: $24,700
Early career earnings: $53,700
13. Texas A&M University — College Station
College Station, Texas
Annual price without aid: $23,900
Annual price with average aid: $15,900
Early career earnings: $55,100
12. Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Annual price without aid: $66,600
Annual price with average aid: $22,000
Early career earnings: $58,800
11. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Annual price without aid: $63,500
Annual price with average aid: $26,300
Early career earnings: $74,800
10. Stanford University
Stanford, California
Annual price without aid: $65,300
Annual price with average aid: $22,000
Early career earnings: $68,600
9. University of Virginia — Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
Annual price without aid: $28,100
Annual price with average aid: $12,000
Early career earnings: $55,400
8. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
New York, New York
Annual price without aid: $62,800
Annual price with average aid: $22,200
Early career earnings: $63,200
7. Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
Annual price without aid: $66,600
Annual price with average aid: $18,000
Early career earnings: $53,400
5. Brigham Young University — Provo (TIE)
Provo, Utah
Annual price without aid: $18,500
Annual price with average aid: $14,700
Early career earnings: $51,800
5. UC Berkeley (TIE)
Berkeley, California
Annual price without aid: $35,700
Annual price with average aid: $25,300
Early career earnings: $60,300
4. Rice University
Houston, Texas
Annual price without aid: $58,600
Annual price with average aid: $24,300
Early career earnings: $63,700
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Annual price without aid: $64,800
Annual price with average aid: $18,900
Early career earnings: $62,900
2. University of Michigan — Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Annual price without aid: $28,100
Annual price with average aid: $14,300
Early career earnings: $59,000
1. Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
Annual price without aid: $61,300
Annual price with average aid: $20,100
Early career earnings: $62,800
