It’s a cold hard fact that the United States’ bachelor’s degree is the most expensive in the world, costing an average of $9,500 per year, according to EducationData.org. That average soars to $34,000 at private universities. International students typically pay even more.
And all that is before housing, food, text books, and trying to have some sort of social life.
For discerning college prospects, Poets&Quants often writes about rankings that measure value for the cost of U.S. bachelor degrees. We pay particular attention to business programs because those are, after all, our specialty. (See: Early-Career ROI: Is Your Business Degree Worth It? and Looking For ROI? These ‘Best Value’ Colleges Score Highest For Internships & Career Placement)
Money Magazine’s 2025 Best Colleges list also measures universities by value, spotlighting the schools that deliver the strongest ROI. But, instead of offering a traditional ranking, Money assigns star ratings (out of five possible) to more than 700 colleges based on key value metrics like graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid, and alumni salaries. The goal isn’t to name a single “best” college, but to help students and families build a list of standout schools that balance affordability with long-term payoff.
MONEY’S 5-STAR UNIVERSITIES & RANKED BUSINESS DEGREES
To help prospective business majors narrow down their best-value options, we filtered Money’s five-star institutions to identify those that also house an undergraduate business program ranked by Poets&Quants in 2025.
Of Money’s 40 five-star colleges, eight have P&Q ranked undergraduate business programs. Four were in our top 10.
University (Location) |
P&Q Ranked B‑School |
2025 P&Q Rank |
Est. Full Price 2025‑26 |
Est. Price with Average Aid |
Difference |
Graduation Rate |
| University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) | The Wharton School | 1 | $92,390 | $27,600 | $64,790 | 96 % |
| Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) | Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management | 2 | $91,470 | $28,100 | $63,370 | 95 % |
| University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN) | Mendoza College of Business | 7 | $86,410 | $30,900 | $55,510 | 96 % |
| University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign (Champaign, IL) | Gies College of Business | 19 | $34,910 | $15,200 | $19,710 | 85 % |
| San Jose State University (San Jose, CA) | Lucas College of Business | 97 | $33,530 | $14,700 | $18,830 | 75 % |
| University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) | Ross School of Business | 11 | $36,100 | $20,200 | $15,900 | 93 % |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC) | Kenan-Flagler Business School | 9 | $27,090 | $11,800 | $15,290 | 91 % |
| Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA) | Scheller College of Business | 15 | $29,600 | $16,900 | $12,700 | 92 % |
The table above shows estimated cost for one year, average cost with aid, and the school’s six-year graduation rate, all drawn from Money’s 2025 data.
We’ve also included a “Difference” column to show the gap between the sticker price and the average cost after financial aid. This metric reveals how much value students may be getting relative to the published tuition. For example, both The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University carry price tags above $91,000. But after financial aid, the average student pays closer to $28,000. That kind of discount can bring elite private business schools into financial reach for more students.
FOUR-STAR UNIVERSITIES
We also expanded our analysis to include the four-star schools on Money’s Best Colleges list.
These colleges still represent strong overall value based on Money’s core metrics, but may not hit the very top across every category. When we filtered again for schools with a 2025 Poets&Quants ranked undergraduate business program, more than 50 universities made the cut.
A few universities stand out: Washington University in St. Louis, home to the Olin Business School which ranked No. 6 in P&Q’s 2025 ranking, has an estimated one-year price of $92,830. But when you factor in average age, that price comes down to $23,800 — a $68,030 difference. Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business (ranked No. 4) and Boston University’s Questrom School of Business (No. 16) also have estimated sticker prices around $90,000, but average aid brings prices down by more than $60,000.
Across the board, these four-star schools offer a range of price points, graduation rates, and business school rankings.
University (Location) |
P&Q Ranked B-School |
2025 P&Q Rank |
Est. Full Price 2025-26 |
Est. Price with Average Aid |
Difference |
Graduation Rate |
| Washington University in St. Louis | Olin Business School | 6 | $91,830 | $23,800 | $68,030 | 93% |
| Georgetown University (Washington, DC) | McDonough School of Business | 4 | $92,510 | $28,200 | $64,310 | 95% |
| Boston University (Boston, MA) | Questrom School of Business | 16 | $89,620 | $29,200 | $60,420 | 88% |
| Emory University (Atlanta, GA) | Goizueta School of Business | 8 | $86,780 | $29,700 | $57,080 | 91% |
| Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA) | Tepper School of Business | 10 | $86,860 | $35,000 | $51,860 | 89% |
| Villanova University (Villanova, PA) | Villanova School of Business | 12 | $88,210 | $40,300 | $47,910 | 92% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) | Lally School of Management | 92 | $85,510 | $38,100 | $47,410 | 86% |
| Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) | College of Business | 26 | $84,950 | $38,100 | $46,850 | 89% |
| Bucknell University (Lewisburg, PA) | Freeman College of Management | 23 | $86,950 | $40,800 | $46,150 | 88% |
| Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO) | Chaifetz School of Business | 67 | $76,670 | $32,800 | $43,870 | 77% |
| Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC) | School of Business | 18 | $78,950 | $37,000 | $41,950 | 89% |
| Northeastern University (Boston, MA) | D’Amore-McKim School of Business | 13 | $80,710 | $39,200 | $41,510 | 89% |
| Trinity University (San Antonio, TX) | Neidorff School of Business | 27 | $70,530 | $30,800 | $39,730 | 82% |
| Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA) | LeBow College of Business | 67 | $84,490 | $44,900 | $39,590 | 79% |
| Seattle University (Seattle, WA) | Albers School of Business | 77 | $76,390 | $39,400 | $36,990 | 78% |
| University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN) | Opus College of Business | 62 | $71,410 | $34,600 | $36,810 | 77% |
| University of Dayton (Dayton, OH) | School of Business Administration | 49 | $69,800 | $33,500 | $36,300 | 79% |
| Providence College (Providence, RI) | College of Business | 43 | $73,060 | $38,900 | $34,160 | 88% |
| Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX) | Neeley School of Business | 28 | $69,410 | $36,800 | $32,610 | 83% |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA) | The Business School at WPI | 42 | $82,540 | $50,700 | $31,840 | 87% |
| Bryant University (Smithfield, RI) | College of Business | 51 | $73,740 | $43,100 | $30,640 | 84% |
| Fairfield University (Fairfield, CT) | Dolan School of Business | 37 | $79,840 | $50,500 | $29,340 | 83% |
| Saint Joseph’s University (Philadelphia, PA) | Haub School of Business | 91 | $65,970 | $37,000 | $28,970 | 79% |
| Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, CA) | College of Business | 55 | $70,160 | $41,900 | $28,260 | 85% |
| Lipscomb University (Nashville, TN) | College of Business | 46 | $56,620 | $32,400 | $24,220 | 71% |
| William & Mary (Williamsburg, VA) | Mason School of Business | 20 | $44,660 | $21,700 | $22,960 | 91% |
| University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, TX) | Jindal School of Management | 70 | $34,640 | $14,300 | $20,340 | 72% |
| University of Michigan-Dearborn (Dearborn, MI) | College of Business | 90 | $32,550 | $13,600 | $18,950 | 60% |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick (New Brunswick, NJ) | Rutgers Business School | 44 | $39,140 | $20,200 | $18,940 | 82% |
| University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT) | School of Business | 63 | $41,180 | $23,700 | $17,480 | 82% |
| Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL) | College of Business | 98 | $30,750 | $14,400 | $16,350 | 62% |
| University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) | Carlson School of Management | 23 | $34,110 | $17,800 | $16,310 | 83% |
| University of Delaware (Newark, DE) | Lerner College of Business & Economics | 52 | $34,990 | $18,800 | $16,190 | 80% |
| University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA) | McIntire School of Commerce | 4 | $36,100 | $20,200 | $15,900 | 93% |
| Florida International University (Miami, FL) | College of Business | 88 | $26,950 | $11,400 | $15,550 | 72% |
| Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) | Mays Business School | 50 | $36,270 | $20,900 | $15,370 | 83% |
| San Diego State University (San Diego, CA) | Fowler College of Business | 101 | $35,360 | $20,700 | $14,660 | 81% |
| University of Washington (Seattle, WA) | Foster School of Business | 32 | $36,900 | $22,900 | $14,000 | 85% |
| Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) | Daniels School of Business | 36 | $26,660 | $13,200 | $13,460 | 80% |
| University of South Carolina (Spartanburg, SC) | Darla Moore School of Business | 57 | $27,870 | $14,600 | $13,270 | 59% |
| University of Houston (Houston, TX) | Bauer College of Business | 40 | $27,740 | $14,600 | $13,140 | 63% |
| University of Tennessee (Knoxville, TN) | Haslam College of Business | 53 | $32,740 | $20,300 | $12,440 | 73% |
| Towson University (Towson, MD) | College of Business and Economics | 74 | $30,340 | $18,000 | $12,340 | 71% |
| University of Missouri-Columbia (Columbia, MO) | Trulaske College of Business | 71 | $33,490 | $21,200 | $12,290 | 72% |
| University of Georgia (Athens, GA) | Terry College of Business | 33 | $29,170 | $17,300 | $11,870 | 87% |
| Binghamton University (Vestal, NY) | School of Management | 31 | $31,810 | $20,000 | $11,810 | 83% |
| University of Massachusetts-Amherst (Amherst, MA) | Isenberg School of Management | 41 | $35,970 | $24,400 | $11,570 | 82% |
| Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR) | College of Business | 96 | $30,890 | $19,400 | $11,490 | 68% |
| The College of New Jersey (Ewing, NJ) | School of Business | 53 | $37,810 | $26,500 | $11,310 | 86% |
| University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH) | Paul College of Business & Economics | 58 | $37,440 | $26,300 | $11,140 | 76% |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI) | School of Business | 22 | $28,920 | $18,400 | $10,520 | 88% |
| Indiana University (Bloomington, IN) | Kelley School of Business | 23 | $31,870 | $21,800 | $10,070 | 82% |
| Iowa State University (Ames, IA) | Ivy College of Business | 99 | $26,300 | $17,500 | $8,800 | 76% |
| University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS) | School of Business | 100 | $28,160 | $19,400 | $8,760 | 66% |
| Brigham Young University (Provo, UT) | Marriott School of Business | 47 | $23,860 | $15,500 | $8,360 | 65% |
| Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI) | Broad College of Business | 67 | $33,900 | $26,100 | $7,800 | 82% |
MONEY’S METHODOLOGY
There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all “best” college. It all depends on what any particular student is looking for. That’s why Money uses its star rating rather than a numerical ranking that tends to split hairs between schools with overall scores that differ by just a couple of decimal points. The star system is meant to help students and families compare schools across a range of values, not crown a single winner.
To build its ratings, Money looks at three big buckets: educational quality, affordability, and outcomes. Each one is packed with metrics. For example, they track graduation rates for Pell Grant recipients, average debt at graduation, and even how well schools help students earn more than they otherwise would — what Money calls “value-added performance.”
Net cost is a big one. The methodology estimates what a student would actually pay for a degree, factoring in things like time-to-graduation, grants, and family income levels. Schools that keep costs low and help students finish on time get a boost.
Outcomes, especially earnings, also matter. The ratings look at both early-career salaries and long-term earnings 10 years after enrollment, then adjust for things like majors and student demographics.
Another helpful feature of Money’s list is its filter. Students can narrow their list by state, star rating, entry test requirements, average cost, enrollment, and other metrics. And then they can dig into even more data for every school on their list. From percent of undergrads who get finance grants, to average time to earn a degree, to acceptance rate, and more.
You can see Money’s full Best Colleges 2025 package here.
DON’T MISS: PRINCETON REVIEW’S BEST VALUE COLLEGES FOR 2025 AND 10 UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS TO WATCH IN 2025
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