2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in the New England Region
There are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its Best New England Region Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking as one tool you can use to help make this decision.
We analyzed 129 colleges and universities to determine which were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in the New England Region. This ranking doesn't just identify the colleges with the lowest costs. Rather, it highlights those institutions that offer excellent educational experiences for a lower cost than other schools of roughly the same caliber. So it is possible that College A may rank better than College B, while College B is less expensive to attend.
Learn more about our ranking methodology.
When determining average cost, we look at total expenses, such as tuition, fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other living expenses. This gives a rough estimation of how much money you can expect to pay out-of-pocket or through loans each year.
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Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in the New England Region
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2021 rankings named Maine Maritime Academy the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in the New England Region for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Maine Maritime Academy is a small public school located in Castine, Maine that handed out 207 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Maine Maritime about 4.3 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $39,093. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Maine Maritime is about $169,273. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The low student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Fitchburg State University. The school came in at #2 in the New England Region on this year’s best value ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and it awarded 815 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at Fitchburg State to complete their degree, and it costs students who receive no aid about $29,289 per year to attend the school. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Fitchburg State is $130,043. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list means Westfield State University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Westfield, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,555 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at Westfield to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $30,279. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Westfield be around $126,869. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list means Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a small public school located in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts that handed out 391 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Maritime graduates in less than 4.3 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $40,218. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Maritime is about $171,731. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Worcester State University. It ranked #5 on our 2021 Best Value Colleges in the New England Region list. Worcester, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,217 students in 2018-2019.
The average student at Worcester State graduates in less than 4.4 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $29,749 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Worcester State is $130,598. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #6 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the New England Region ranking. Amherst, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,878 students in 2018-2019.
The average student at UMass Amherst graduates in less than 4.1 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $46,471 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst is $192,390. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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University of Maine at Farmington did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #7. UMaine Farmington is a public institution located in Farmington, Maine. The school has a small population, and it awarded 372 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at UMaine Farmington about 4.3 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $30,734 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from UMaine Farmington be around $131,849. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The low student loan default rate of 4.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #8, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. North Adams, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 310 students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at MCLA about 4.2 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $33,424 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the MCLA is $141,049. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Bridgewater State University landed the #9 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the New England Region ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and it awarded 2,306 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Bridgewater State graduates in less than 4.5 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $31,686 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $141,953 to get a bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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With a ranking of #10, Framingham State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. Located in Framingham, Massachusetts, the medium-sized public school awarded 862 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Framingham State about 4.3 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $31,466 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Framingham State is $135,933. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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With a ranking of #11, Keene State College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. Keene State is located in Keene, New Hampshire and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 912 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at Keene State to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $37,765 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Keene State is $157,480. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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University of New Hampshire - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. Located in Durham, New Hampshire, the fairly large public school awarded 3,550 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
At U of NH, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $48,710 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the U of NH is $200,685. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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Salem State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Salem, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1,672 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at Salem State to complete their degree, and it costs students who receive no aid about $32,991 per year to attend the school. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Salem State is $145,820. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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University of Connecticut ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. This large public school is located in Storrs, Connecticut, and it awarded 6,052 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UCONN is 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $51,753 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from UCONN is $215,292. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCONN also is in the top 20% of our Best Colleges in the New England Region ranking.
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With a ranking of #15, University of New Hampshire at Manchester did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. UNH Manchester is located in Manchester, New Hampshire and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 197 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
At UNH Manchester, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $42,024 per year to attend the school. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from UNH Manchester be around $177,762. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #16, University of Massachusetts - Lowell did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. UMass Lowell is located in Lowell, Massachusetts and has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 2,906 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UMass Lowell is 4.5 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $43,855 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UMass Lowell is about $196,032. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
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Eastern Connecticut State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. ECSU is a small public school situated in Willimantic, Connecticut. It awarded 1,108 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at ECSU graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $38,102 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $160,028 to get a bachelor’s degree from ECSU. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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With a ranking of #18, University of Rhode Island did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. URI is a public institution located in Kingston, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,624 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at URI is 4.3 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $45,589 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from URI is about $196,944. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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University of Maine landed the #19 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the New England Region ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Orono, Maine, and it awarded 1,739 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at UMaine about 4.4 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $42,273 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UMaine is about $185,578. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Central Connecticut State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. Located in New Britain, Connecticut, the fairly large public school awarded 2,083 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at CCSU about 4.6 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $35,752 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from CCSU be around $164,459. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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University of Maine at Fort Kent ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. University of Maine at Fort Kent is a small public school located in Fort Kent, Maine that handed out 241 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.5 years for the average student at UMFK to complete their degree, and it costs students who receive no aid about $23,362 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UMFK is $104,428. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Clark University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. Clark is a private not-for-profit institution located in Worcester, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 662 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Clark about 4.1 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $58,430 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Clark is $238,979. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Saint Anselm College did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Manchester, New Hampshire, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 517 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at St. Anselm College about 4.0 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $61,550 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from St. Anselm College is $248,662. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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With a ranking of #24, Southern Connecticut State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region list. SCSU is a public institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,676 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at SCSU about 4.6 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $35,842 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from SCSU is $165,948. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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Roger Williams University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the New England Region ranking. Located in Bristol, Rhode Island, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 935 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at RWU about 4.1 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $54,537 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $224,147 to get a bachelor’s degree from RWU. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.