2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska
With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Value in Nebraska Schools ranking - to help you make that decision.
Our analysis looked at 17 schools to determine which ones were the best for overall value in Nebraska. 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. Because of this, it is possible for one college to rank better than another, even if the latter college has a lower average cost.
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, and then deduct the average amount of financial aid awarded to a student. This estimate is meant to give you a better picture of how much money you'll have to pay each year, either through self-pay, loans, or external scholarships.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors, such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those seeking diversity and overall quality.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!
Top Colleges for the Money in Nebraska
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
University of Nebraska - Lincoln tops this year’s ranking as the best school for overall value in Nebraska. Lincoln, Nebraska is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,859 students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at UNL about 4.5 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school is around $19,332. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UNL is about $86,607. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UNL is ranked #2 for overall quality in Nebraska.
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Out of the 17 schools in Nebraska that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Kearney, Nebraska, the medium-sized public school awarded 850 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The average student at UNK graduates in less than 4.5 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $17,634. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the UNK is $80,235. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Out of the 17 schools in Nebraska that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #3 spot on the list. UNOMAHA is a public institution located in Omaha, Nebraska. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,281 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At UNOMAHA, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.7 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $17,298. This means that the average student pays around $81,301 to get a bachelor’s degree from UNOMAHA. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska list means Clarkson College is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Clarkson College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Omaha, Nebraska. The school has a small population, and it awarded 142 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Clarkson College, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $22,216. 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 Clarkson College is $91,530. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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Out of the 17 schools in Nebraska that were part of this year’s ranking, Wayne State College landed the #5 spot on the list. Wayne, Nebraska is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 592 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.5 years for the average student at WSC to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $15,035. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the WSC is $67,056. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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College of Saint Mary landed the #6 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Nebraska ranking. Saint Mary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 159 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at Saint Mary to complete their degree, and it costs about $23,339 per year to attend the school. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Saint Mary is $99,658. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Creighton University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska list. Creighton is located in Omaha, Nebraska and has a medium-sized student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 1,243 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes the average student at Creighton about 4.2 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school is around $36,031. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Creighton is $149,529. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Creighton also made our Best Colleges in Nebraska list, coming in at #1.
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Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #8. Nebraska Methodist College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 180 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.5 years for the average student at Nebraska Methodist College to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $27,743. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Nebraska Methodist College be around $124,844. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Nebraska Methodist College is ranked #4 for overall quality in Nebraska.
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Chadron State College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking. Located in Chadron, Nebraska, the small public school awarded 415 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Chadron State College is 4.5 years, and it costs about $17,773 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $80,689 to get a bachelor’s degree from Chadron State College. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Doane University landed the #10 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Nebraska ranking. Doane University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Crete, Nebraska that handed out 476 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Doane Crete graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $29,699. 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 Doane Crete is $125,627. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Hastings College did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #11. Hastings, Nebraska is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 260 students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Hastings about 4.1 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $24,397. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Hastings is about $100,516. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Peru State College did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #12. Peru State is a small public school situated in Peru, Nebraska. It awarded 311 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.7 years for the average student at Peru State to complete their degree, and it costs about $17,522 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $82,353 to get a bachelor’s degree from Peru State. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Union College Nebraska did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #13. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 151 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Union College Lincoln graduates in less than 4.6 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $24,550. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Union College Lincoln is $112,930. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Nebraska Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #14. NWU is located in Lincoln, Nebraska and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 480 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
At NWU, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and it costs about $33,557 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from NWU is $141,611. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, NWU is ranked #5 for overall quality in Nebraska.
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With a ranking of #15, York College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska list. Located in York, Nebraska, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 76 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at York College to complete their degree, and it costs about $19,265 per year to attend the school. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from York College is about $85,151. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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Concordia University - Nebraska did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #16. Concordia is located in Seward, Nebraska and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 378 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at Concordia to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $30,008. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Concordia is $126,934. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Midland University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #17. Midland U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fremont, Nebraska. It awarded 257 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Midland U about 4.2 years to graduate, and it costs about $32,309 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 Midland U is $135,052. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 17 schools only.
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.
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