I always knew Id end up at Florida State University.
Well, I went to FSU.
Personally, I think I did.
Median earnings for students who graduate from Arizona State University is $45,200. W. Scott Mitchell/Arizona State University
By now, student loans and the debt borrowers face later are a part of life.
Luckily, theres data for that.
(See below for the methodology.)
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
The higher the ratio, the further your tuition dollars will go.
And we did it for every state.
And be sure to do as many things as possibleto save money while in college.
Ten, to be exact.
Thats the second most out of all 50 states.
But, the bang-for-your-buck ratio is 15 points lower than the rest of the U.S. And thats considering graduates of this states schools generally make less on average than their peers in other states.
So if you love the Ozarks, consider school in this southern state.
This is usually because its cheaper to live in, or commute to, that area.
But, you know, its freaking California, man.
In my eyes, the weather and surf more than make up for it.
But, it also has one of the highest gaps in costs between in-state and out-of-state students.
But the state does have a slightly greater value for college students than the country as a whole.
But several overlooked schools are making waves in academics and sports.
(Thats not saying much, given Florida has the fifth lowest bang-for-your buck ratio in the country.)
No trade school or community college made the grade, so were including only one recommendation.
Thats $3,200 more than the rest of the country.
(Actually dont, or it will be stuck in your head for the next 24 hours.)
Iowa has roughly the same acceptance rate and bang for your buck as the country as a whole.
So if you already live in the Hawkeye State, you might want consider staying for your next chapter.
But of all the states we analyzed, Kansas also had the 10th lowest premium for out-of-state tuition.
If you throw that school out of the analysis, Kentucky actually has a low bang-for-your-buck rating.
As you know, I went to Florida State once ranked the No.
Sorry, Baton Rouge, but Id take Shreveport over the fratmosphere.
Those crabs, though.
With the eighth lowest bang-for-your-buck ratio in the U.S., Massachusetts also has the third highest annual tuition costs.
Michigan is another case of the best value coming from satellite campuses, and the state has plenty.
There are also 95 trade schools and community colleges from which to choose.
But, one nontraditional school stuck out:Metropolitan State University, which actually ended up No.
1 on our initial list.
Its designed for older, working students and offers night classes.
But that also means if youre looking for a four-year degree, the options are limited.
Heck, there are probably more bison than college kids in this state.
No university met our criteria, so were offering only one recommendation.
But its not the best state when it comes to value for your college education.
Nevada has the fourth lowest bang-for-your-buck ratio.
But it does have the No.
1 average admission rate in the U.S.
So, theres that.
8 on our list of states with the highest average bang-for-your-buck ratio.
So if you go to school here, it wont be a Breaking Bad investment.
All joking aside, the state also has good technical and trade schools for your money.
(Ive written about thecost of living in this big city.
But New York also has one of the lowest premiums for out-of-state tuition.
So if youre looking for the traditional college experience, look to the Carolinas.
10 on our bang-for-your-buck list.
So ensure to keep that in mind.
10 on the state list of the best value colleges.
OK, so maybe this isnt the best state for partiers.
This is largely driven by lower than average salaries after college.
So its no surprise that there are only 22 universities in the state.
But when you single out bachelors-degree institutions, Tennessees bang for your buck is well below the national average.
But it doesnt deliver the tuition value of other states.
It ended up in the bottom 15 states in our bang-for-your-buck analysis.
However, because its a big state, Texas has plenty of worthwhile college choices.
As in other large states, the best value can be found at satellite campuses of major universities.
In past stories, weve found Utah super affordable and filled with plenty of job opportunities.
But as youll see below, there are some hidden gems around the Great Salt Lake.
16 in average earnings after graduation.
5 in our state-by-state analysis of the best places for tuition value.
19 on our state-by-state list of college value.
Thats because median earnings 10 years after college are middling compared with the rest of the country.
Wyoming came in second to Alaska in the state analysis of the best tuition value and No.
1 in average net price.
When you log into your bank account, how do your savings look?
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
