7 Most Affordable Ivy League Schools in The US

Ivy League Schools are associated with many things, such as academic rigor, expansive campuses and prestige, but the following content looks at the most affordable Ivy League Schools in the US. One notion that Ivy Leagues rarely conjures is one of affordability. This is because people largely believe that access to these respected private colleges is just limited to wealthy students.

However, this is really not true. In fact, private institutions like Ivy Leagues, generally offer far lesser net tuition compared to public institutions. A common error that many students make is just looking at the advertised expenses of attendance. On average, public colleges usually have significantly lower prices than private colleges. Nevertheless, this cost is not really the true representation of the actual expenses that students will have to bear.

While most state schools today are steadily reducing their budgets, most private institutions, including the best engineering colleges, continue receiving huge endowments. For instance, it was reported that in 2012, Harvard University received an endowment above $30 billion. Notable, the biggest endowment funds were linked to the prestigious Ivy Leagues.

You may be wondering what the importance of endowment sizes to potential students is. Well, the bigger the endowment to administrative costs ratio is, the larger potential for being financially generous an institution is. For instance, Harvard does not charge any attendance fee if a prospective student’s family does not earn more than $60,000 per year.

The chances of getting such a generous offer from a state institution are very slim. Most state schools just lack the resources to make these kinds of offers. Moreover, some more privileged private schools opt to target their assets towards specific programs to benefit low-income prospective students. This is usually done as a way of providing quality education to poorer students.

In short, you must not disregard Ivy Leagues when writing your school applications. Here are the most affordable Ivy League Schools in the US that you can check out.

 

7. University of Pennsylvania

Penn guarantees a good combination of a high quality social life and strong academics. Graduates of this school also tend to have good job prospects. In fact, most Penn graduates are likely to get higher starting salaries, with many ending up as millionaires.

 

6. Dartmouth College

Even though Hanover might not be most people’s first option to spend more than four years learning, Dartmouth has an excellent campus along with an amazing social life. The institution is largely homogeneous though, with low numbers of international students and diversity in general. However, it is among the cheapest Ivy Leagues.

 

5. Columbia University

The quality of academics at Columbia University is significantly high, enhanced by the fact that it has a higher number of classes with fewer than 20 students. In addition, since the school is located in New York, it is among the best choices for students looking for a more traditional and diverse campus along with all the advantages of a vibrant city.

 

4. Cornell University

Cornell University has a vibrant Greek scene as well as a great college town. Students can have a good social life in the most good-looking campuses in the Ivy League. Besides being among the most affordable Ivy League schools in the US, the school also has high acceptance rates. This means larger class sizes and thus more diversity.

 

3. Yale University

Considered to have attractive and brainy students, Yale University is also quite diverse. Student body as well as student life rankings are also very high. It also ranks well on job prospects and affordability, which makes students at this university very happy.

 

2. Princeton University

Students at Princeton University prove their intellect by selecting a university with a very low billed tuition and among the best job prospects for graduates. Princeton University has consistently ranked well in job prospects and affordability rankings. The admission standards and high diversity of the school also make it more attractive.

 

1. Harvard University

The best and most Ivy League school is Harvard University, ranking highly in job prospects, affordability and campus. Boston is also an excellent town to attend university, and Harvard’s picturesque and historic campus makes the experience much better. In addition, the university has a stellar reputation, which means that Harvard graduates do not have any issues getting a well-paying and fulfilling job after graduating. This sets Harvard students up for a better ROI compared to other Ivy League schools.

Whether you are hoping to make lots of money in future or develop an amazing innovation, now you know which the most affordable Ivy League schools in the US are.