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Best Value Schools in District of Columbia

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2023 Best Value Schools in District of Columbia

Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

7 Schools Ranked
$41,209 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,450 Avg Student Debt*

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools and bootcamps that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Schools in District of Columbia ranking. Our analysis looked at 7 schools in District of Columbia to see which programs offered the best value experiences for students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top Value Schools in District of Columbia

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

University of the District of Columbia

Washington, District of Columbia
761 Total Awards
$13,004 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of the District of Columbia to be the best value school for students in District of Columbia. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, the small public school awarded 761 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at University of the District of Columbia are $13,004 a year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $30,825 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, University of the District of Columbia graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,806 during the early year of their career.

Full University of the District of Columbia Report

#2

Trinity Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia
384 Total Awards
$25,110 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Trinity Washington University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value schools in District of Columbia. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 384 students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Trinity College are $25,110 a year. On average, students take out $34,183 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Trinity College, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $52,904 during the early years of their career.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Trinity College is ranked #5 for overall quality in District of Columbia.

Read More…

#3

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia
9,981 Total Awards
$57,984 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at George Washington University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value schools in District of Columbia. GWU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 9,981 degrees in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at GWU are $57,984 a year. On average, students take out $23,099 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $532, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, GWU graduates make an average of $65,148 annually.

GWU also took the #2 spot in our Best Schools in District of Columbia rankings.

Read full report on George Washington University

#4

Georgetown University

Washington, District of Columbia
7,126 Total Awards
$59,957 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 7 schools in District of Columbia that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgetown University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Georgetown is located in Washington, District of Columbia and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7,126 degrees to qualified students.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Georgetown are $59,957 a year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $16,335 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $769. Once they receive their degree, Georgetown graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $69,885 during the early year of their career.

Georgetown did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Schools in District of Columbia list.

Full Georgetown University Report

#5

Howard University

Washington, District of Columbia
2,370 Total Awards
$28,916 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Howard University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Schools in District of Columbia list. Howard is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 2,370 degrees in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Howard are $28,916 a year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $23,908 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $769, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Howard graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $50,572 during the early year of their career.

Read full report on Howard University

#6

American University

Washington, District of Columbia
4,631 Total Awards
$51,334 Average Tuition & Fees

American University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Schools in District of Columbia list. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 4,631 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.

The American University undergraduate students pay an average of $51,334 in tuition and fees each year. On average, students take out $22,484 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $692. Once they receive their degree, The American University graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $50,575 during the early year of their career.

The American University did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Schools in District of Columbia list.

Full American University Report

#7

Catholic University of America

Washington, District of Columbia
1,661 Total Awards
$52,156 Average Tuition & Fees

Catholic University of America ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Schools in District of Columbia list. CUA is located in Washington, District of Columbia and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,661 degrees to qualified students.

CUA undergraduate students pay an average of $52,156 in tuition and fees each year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $22,706 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $765 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, CUA graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $55,014 during the early year of their career.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, CUA is ranked #4 for overall quality in District of Columbia.

Full Catholic University of America Report

Best Value Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 7 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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