A bachelor's degree can be an incredibly lucrative investment. College graduates earned a median of $60,000 in 2023, compared with $36,000 among workers with only a high school diploma, according to the New York Fed.

But with the cost of a college education soaring to nearly six figures at some schools, it may be more important than ever for students and their families to make sure they're getting the most bang for their buck when it comes to their tuition dollars.

To ensure you recoup your investment, it might make sense to consider schools that will be more affordable up front and demonstrate successful job outcomes for graduates, such as Georgia Institute of Technology. The school offers the best value for students without financial aid, according to The Princeton Review. Colleges were ranked based on the publication's assessment of each's academic offerings, cost and career prospects. 

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These are the 10 colleges that offer the best value to students without financial aid. Tuition prices are for first-year, full-time students, according to each school. Average net prices reflect the average prices paid by students who don't receive federal financial aid after scholarships and grants, according to the latest available data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

1. Georgia Institute of Technology — Atlanta, Georgia

• 2024-25 out-of-state tuition: $32,938 
• 2021-22 average net price: $17,402

2. University of California, Berkeley — Berkeley, California

• 2024-25 out-of-state tuition: $47,346
• 2021-22 average net price: $19,257

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, North Carolina

• 2024-25 out-of-state tuition: $19,614 
• 2021-22 average net price: $10,614

4. University of Virginia — Charlottesville, Virginia

• 2024-25 out-of-state tuition: $78,214 to $90,378 (varies by major)
• 2021-22 average net price: $19,469

5. North Carolina State University — Raleigh, North Carolina

• 2024-25 out-of-state tuition: $33,034
• 2021-22 average net price: $14,852

6. Binghamton University — Binghamton, New York

• 2024-25 out-of-state tuition: $26,950
• 2021-22 average net price: $19,535

7. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, Michigan

• 2024-25 out-of-state tuition: $60,946
• 2021-22 average net price: $19,318

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — Champaign, Illinois

• 2024-25 out-of-state tuition: $36,760 to $44,664 (varies by major)
• 2021-22 average net price: $14,544

9. University of Texas at Austin — Austin, Texas

• 2024-25 out-of-state tuition: $40,582 to $48,712 (varies based on major)
• 2021-22 average net price: $17,434

10. University of California, San Diego — La Jolla, California

• 2024-25 out-of-state tuition: $48,636
• 2021-22 average net price: $16,111

Graduates from Georgia Tech earn a median of $92,900 in the first five years of their career, according to Payscale, and a median of $168,000 with 10 or more years of work experience, helping bolster the school's reputation for providing a valuable education. 

While it doesn't have the cheapest price, the almost $33,000 tuition price for out-of-state students is only slightly higher than the national average of $27,023 at public 4-year universities, according to Education Data Initiative.

Notably, all 10 of the best-value schools are public colleges and universities, which are typically cheaper than private schools.

Public school graduates earn a median of $33,000 a year, compared with $41,000 a year for private school grads 10 years after college, according to a study from Georgetown's Center on Education and the Workforce. But while they tend to earn less, public college graduates see a larger return on investment in the short-term because they tend to take on less debt to attend school than those who go to private colleges.

Public college students also graduate with a smaller debt load — a median of $7,000, compared with $17,000 among private school grads.

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