2022 Best Schools for the Money (No Aid) in Nebraska
There are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Value Nebraska Schools ranking - to help you make that decision.
In This Year's Value Report:

Finding Your Best College Match
Our analysis looked at 22 schools in Nebraska to determine which ones have the best value programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
Our Methodology
To determine the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking, we first add average tuition, fees, and room and board costs (without aid) together. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.
More Rankings to View
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
- Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Nebraska
- Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Nebraska
- Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Nebraska
- Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Nebraska
Best Value Schools (No Aid) in Nebraska
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Metropolitan Community College to be the best value (no aid) school in Nebraska in this year’s ranking. Metropolitan Community College is a fairly large public school located in Omaha, Nebraska.
Not only is Metropolitan Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $9,450 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $6,255 per year for graduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southeast Community College Area. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska list. Lincoln, Nebraska is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Southeast Community College Area a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $9,814 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $7,150 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska list. UNL is a public institution located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Not only is University of Nebraska - Lincoln a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $21,748 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,909 per year for graduate students.
The quality degree programs at Bellevue University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska. Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bellevue, Nebraska.
Not only is Bellevue University a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $16,941 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $20,475 a year.
Out of the 22 schools in Nebraska that were part of this year’s ranking, Wayne State College landed the #5 spot on the list. WSC is a small public school situated in Wayne, Nebraska.
Not only is Wayne State College a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $16,008 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,992 per year for graduate students.
University of Nebraska at Kearney ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska list. UNK is a public institution located in Kearney, Nebraska.
Not only is University of Nebraska at Kearney a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $18,716 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $18,128 a year.
Northeast Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska list. Northeast is a public institution located in Norfolk, Nebraska.
Northeast Community College has the honor of being ranked #17 in Nebraska for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $12,460 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $8,710 per year for graduate students.
Central Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska list. Located in Grand Island, Nebraska, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Central Community College is ranked #19 for quality in the state of Nebraska. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $10,034 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $6,824 a year.
University of Nebraska at Omaha came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking. Omaha, Nebraska is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Nebraska at Omaha is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Nebraska. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $18,332 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $17,948 per year for graduate students.
Chadron State College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking. Chadron State College is a public institution located in Chadron, Nebraska.
Chadron State College has the honor of being ranked #15 in Nebraska for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $15,286 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $13,595 a year.
Mid-Plains Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #11. Mid-Plains Community College is a small public school located in North Platte, Nebraska.
Not only is Mid-Plains Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #20 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $9,990 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $6,630 per year for graduate students.
Western Nebraska Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking. Western Nebraska Community College is a small public school located in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
Not only is Western Nebraska Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #21 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $10,010 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,034 per year for graduate students.
Read full value report on Western Nebraska Community College
Peru State College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking. Peru State College is a small public school located in Peru, Nebraska.
Not only is Peru State College a great value, but it is also ranked #18 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $16,444 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $17,800 per year for graduate students.
College of Saint Mary did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #14. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Omaha, Nebraska.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, College of Saint Mary is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Nebraska. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $29,370 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $25,124 per year for graduate students.
Concordia University, Nebraska did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #15. Concordia University, Nebraska is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seward, Nebraska.
Concordia University, Nebraska has the honor of being ranked #12 in Nebraska for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $44,140 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $17,890 per year for graduate students.
York College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #16. York College is located in York, Nebraska and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
York College has the honor of being ranked #22 in Nebraska for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $28,600 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $13,890 a year.
With a ranking of #17, Doane University did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska list. Doane Crete is located in Crete, Nebraska and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Doane University a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $46,800 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $17,663 a year.
Union College Nebraska did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #18. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Not only is Union College Nebraska a great value, but it is also ranked #16 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $32,510 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $38,610 a year.
Creighton University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking. Creighton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Omaha, Nebraska.
Not only is Creighton University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $54,618 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $30,128 a year.
Nebraska Wesleyan University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska list. NWU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Nebraska Wesleyan University has the honor of being ranked #3 in Nebraska for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $47,112 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,444 per year for graduate students.
Midland University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking. Midland U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fremont, Nebraska.
Not only is Midland University a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $44,754 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $25,100 per year for graduate students.
Hastings College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Nebraska ranking, coming in at #22. Hastings is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hastings, Nebraska.
Not only is Hastings College a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $43,060 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $22,310 per year for graduate students.
Best Value Schools (No Aid) in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 22 schools only.
- 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.