Debt, debt, debt, student loans, lower paying jobs for college grads, spiraling tuition costs, and excessive cost of books and campus life mean that many students are graduating already buried under debt.  Its time for students to make better informed financial decisions about their education. Whether its choosing to go to an In-state college, community college for a year or two as a bridge to a 4-year institution, or fighting harder for a full or partial scholarship there are some colleges and universities out there that are still a fantastic value.

We have rated and chosen 5 universities from 3 different admissions categories, Most Selective, More Selective, and Selective. We would love to hear your comments and suggestions for other readers.  You may notice most of the schools are Public Universities, as we reviewed various institutions the difficulty in choosing a private university with a better value especially in the More Selective and Selective categories became overwhelmingly difficult.  Do you agree or disagree with this list? Leave us comments at the end of the post and register for blog updates!

Most Selective Admissions Institutions

University of Virginia – Charlottesville, Virginia.
Web site: http://www.virginia.edu
Most Selective rating for admissions.
Tuition1: In-State2: $9,450 ($20,173 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International3: $29,790 ($40,473 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 19,784
Consistently ranked as one of the top public4 universities in the United States.

College of William & Mary Image by David Burns under Creative Commons license

William & Mary – Williamsburg, Virginia
Web site:  http://www.wm.edu
Most Selective rating for admissions
Tuition: In-State: $10,246 ($20,600 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $29,326 (39,600 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 7,890
Featured on Princeton Review as a “Best Value” http://bit.ly/1xBj

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Michigan
Web site: http://www.umich.edu
Most Selective rating for admissions
Tuition: In-State: $12,439 ($24,181 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $33,201 ($47,083 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 41,042
Consistently ranked as one of the top public4 universities in the United States.

University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley, California

University of California Berkeley Students Image by jeroen020 under Creative Commons license

Web site: http://www.berkeley.edu/
Most Selective rating for admissions
Tuition: In-State: $8,932 ($26,586 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $29,540 ($47,194 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 35,409

Rice University – Houston, Texas
Web site: http://www.rice.edu/
Most Selective rating for admissions
Tuition: In-State: $30,486 ($43,583 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $30,486 ($43,583 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 5,039
Consistently ranked in top 10 of all universities in United States

More Selective Admissions Institutions

University of Kansas – Athens, Georgia
Web site: http://www.ku.edu
More Selective rating for admissions
Tuition: In-state: $7,042 ($17,860 with Room and Board)
Out-of-state: $17,119  ($26, 281 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 30,120

University of Kansas Jayhawk Mascot Image by Home Town Invasion under Creative Commons license

University of Georgia – Athens, Georgia
Web site: http://www.uga.edu
More Selective rating for admissions
Tuition: In-state: $6,030 ($16,758 with Room and Board)
Out-of-state: $22,572  ($32,242 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 25,467

Ohio State University – Columbus,Ohio
Website: http://www.osu.edu
More Selective rating for admissions
In-State: $8,679 ($16,460 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $21,918 ($29,998 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 53,715

University of Florida – Gainesville, Florida
Website: http://www.ufl.edu
More Selective rating for admissions
In-State: $3,790 ($15,740 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $21,400 ($33,350 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 51,761

University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Minnesota
Website: http://www.umn.edu
More Selective rating for admissions
In-State: $10,860 ($18,086 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $14,800 ($22,086 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 51,140

BONUS SCHOOL
SUNY – Stony Brook – Stony Brook, New York
Website: http://www.stonybrook.edu/
More Selective rating for admissions
In-State: $3,896 ($12,620 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $8,700 ($14,630 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 24,000

Selective Admissions Institutions

Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, Illinois
Web site: http://www.siuc.edu
Selective rating for admissions
Tuition: In-State: $9,186 ($20,750 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $18.708 ($31,200 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 21,387
University of Mississippi – Oxford, Mississippi
Web site: http://www.olemiss.edu
Selective rating for admissions
In-State: $5,180 ($18,430 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $12,235 ($25,462 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 17,600

West Virginia University – Morgantown, West Virginia
Web site: http://www.wvu.edu
Selective rating for admissions
In-State: $5,100 ($11,380 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $15,768 ($22,048 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 28,110

Image by jwowens under Creative Commons license

University of Oklahoma – Norman, Oklahoma
Web site: http://www.ou.edu
Selective rating for admissions
In-State: $7,420 ($15,909 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $17,400 ($25,890 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 20,915

Arizona State University – Tempe, Arizona
Web site: http://www.asu.edu
Selective rating for admissions
In-State: $5,400 ($18,045 with Room and Board)
Out-of-State/International: $17,949 ($30,320 with Room and Board)
Total enrollment 2008: 53,200

1 : Tuition in the US is calculated for a full year (2 semesters) not including the summer session.
2 : In-State is an resident of that state
3 : Out-of-State means any student who is not a resident of that state or an international student
4 : Public universities are founded and funded by the state

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