The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College and The Short List: Grad School to find data that matters to you in your college or grad school search.
Room and board is what really helps a student live at college. Hanging out in dormitories and eating in dining halls may not always be glamorous, but it's often how students feel at home on campus and meet other students outside the classroom. Unfortunately, room and board often comes with a hefty price tag.
U.S. News surveys more than 1,800 colleges and universities annually, and of the 1,130 schools that reported room and board data, the national average for the 2011-2012 academic year is $9,047. These rates are what a typical student would expect to pay, although there may be higher or lower cost options, based on factors such as dorm room sizes and meal plan packages.
[These schools offer the most expensive room and board.]
To combat these prices, many students commute to class, skip the university's meal package, and live off campus. But if you plan to pay for room and board, look into these schools that charge less than half of the national average. Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Rust College in Mississippi offer the nation's least expensive room and board options, with each school charging $3,700 annually. Among the 10 schools with the least expensive room and board, two are located in Oklahoma, two in Mississippi, and two in North Dakota. None of the schools listed is located east of the Appalachian Mountains.
Five of the 10 institutions with the least expensive room and board are public, and seven are ranked in U.S. News's rankings of the Best Colleges. The five military academies, which charge $0 for room and board in return for postgraduate service, were excluded from the list. Schools that were designated by U.S. News as Unranked were not considered for this report. U.S. News did not calculate a numerical ranking for Unranked programs because the program did not meet certain criteria that U.S. News requires to be numerically ranked.
These are the schools with the least expensive room and board fees for the 2011-2012 academic year:
| School name (State) | Room & board (2011-2012) | U.S. News rank & category |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Oklahoma State University | $3,700 | RNP*, Regional Universities (West) |
| Rust College (MS) | $3,700 | RNP, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Cameron University (OK) | $3,754 | RNP, Regional Universities (West) |
| Blue Mountain College (MS) | $3,950 | 20, Regional Colleges (South) |
| Wayland Baptist University (TX) | $4,246 | 75, Regional Universities (West) |
| Martin Luther College (MN) | $4,390 | 51, Regional Colleges (Midwest) |
| Dickinson State University (ND) | $4,474 | 63, Regional Colleges (Midwest) |
| Weber State University (UT) | $4,600 | 76, Regional Universities (West) |
| Louisiana College | $4,605 | 38, Regional Colleges (South) |
| Mayville State University (ND) | $4,632 | 63, Regional Colleges (Midwest) |
*RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one fourth of its rankings category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find room and board statistics, complete rankings, and much more.
U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2011 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported a myriad of data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News's data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While the data comes from the schools themselves, these lists have no influence over U.S. News's rankings of Best Colleges or Best Graduate Schools.
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