10 Least Expensive Private Colleges

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While choosing the best college or university for you can be difficult, strategizing a way to effectively finance your education can pose its own set of challenges. Although many private schools have high sticker prices, a survey by the National Association of College and University Business Officers notes that the average student who entered a private institution in fall 2010 received a tuition discount of nearly 50 percent.

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With the option of financial assistance, some students can afford to look at higher-priced schools. Other students may simply explore private schools that offer a more manageable price from the start. Among the 829 private colleges and universities that reported data to U.S. News in a 2011 survey of undergraduate programs, the average cost of tuition and required fees for the 2011-2012 academic year is $27,340. By comparison, the 10 least expensive private colleges in the country cost an average of $6,115 annually for tuition and fees—down from $7,220 annually the year before.

Berea College in Kentucky is the least expensive private college in the country, with an annual tuition and fees package of $910. Relying on endowment income, gifts, and financial aid, Berea does not charge tuition. Instead, students are required to work a minimum of 10 hours per week in campus-approved jobs.

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Also among the top 10 least expensive private schools are three campuses in the Brigham Young University system—Brigham Young University—Hawaii, Brigham Young University—Idaho, and Brigham Young University—Provo. The three BYU campuses and Berea are the four schools on the list that are ranked within U.S. News's Best Colleges rankings.

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.

Below is a list of the 10 private colleges that offer the least expensive tuition and fees (figures do not include room and board, books, and other miscellaneous costs):

*RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one fourth of its ranking 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 student demographic 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.