If you’re a grad, you’re no stranger to this classic question: “Where do you want to go to school?”
For many students, choosing which college to attend is one of the biggest decisions of their lives.
What factors are most important to consider when choosing where to study?
Of course, we all think about the big hitters – academics and job prospects – but what about the rest?
Some other considerations are bound to come up, like what’s the cost of living? How safe is the area? How many opportunities to immerse in nature and recreation are there? How big is the student body? What the weather is like? And the big one for some: Does the school have an active sports culture?
FACTORS THAT MATTER MOST
To give students some guidance in this critical and potentially overwhelming decision, WalletHub compiled their 2025 list of the Best College Towns and Cities in America – a treasure trove of data for students to explore based on the factors that matter most to them
“Many students attend universities within their region, even if they opt to live on campus, as they are familiar with the area and can easily stay in touch with their support systems of family and friends,” says Rene Parmar, Professor and Dean of the School of Education at SUNY New Paltz. “If a person is considering living on campus or moving to another location to go to college, the surrounding city/town does have an impact.”
For some students, that means deciding whether they would be more comfortable in a smaller town or a larger urban center.
“Most residential campuses offer numerous opportunities for student engagement on campus, so there is little need to go off campus for entertainment,” shares Dr. Mark Fabrizi, Professor at Eastern Connecticut State. “On the other hand, a campus may be geographically isolated from towns or urban centers which would limit student involvement in off-campus activities. It’s a personal decision that should be a consideration for students.”
THIS YEAR’S BEST COLLEGE TOWNS – AUSTIN, ANN ARBOR, AND ORLANDO
For the fifth year in a row, Austin, Texas has been crowned the No. 1 college town in the U.S. All-in-all, the city ranks No. 14 in Academic & Economic opportunities, No. 17 in social and environmental opportunities, and 191 for wallet friendliness. The city offers a ton of attractions and, proudly boasts both some of the lowest pizza prices in the country as well as top Division 1 basketball, baseball, soccer, and football teams. If that didn’t hook you, the in-state tuition is pretty budget-friendly at an average of $30,138 per year, making it the 94th-cheapest option.
Ann Arbor, Michigan again ranked No. 2, a position it has held with WalletHub since 2021. Ann Arbor has a huge student population – 361 out of every 1,000 residents – which helps with finding your crowd and building strong social networks. The average cost of a year with in-state tuition plus room and board in this city is $33,556.
In third place is Orlando, Florida, which has climbed up from their No. 5 back in 2020 and held their No. 3 place for the past 4 years. Orlando has the 19th-cheapest tuition (including room and board) for in-state students, at just $24,036 per year.
At the bottom this year were two California schools and one from Maryland: Isla Vista, CA (190). Germantown, MD (191), and East Los Angeles (192).
FOR STUDENTS, WHAT’S THE COST OF LIVING?
It’s no secret that college tuition is on the rise. Tuition plus room and board at a four-year college costs anywhere from $28,000 - $60,000 per year.
At ranked public schools, U.S. News and World Report shared tuition and fees rose an average of 2.2% for in-state students and about 2.4% for out-of-staters. At private colleges, these costs have climbed about 5.5% higher than last year.
While some costs can't be helped, others can. Universities often offer a number of financial aid resources to help offset costs.
“Utilize the many services that a student life department offers from tutoring, scholarship development, free entertainment, understanding how to best use your meal plans, and utilize free open education resources,” says Professor Frances Gipson at Claremont University.
“These services are part of the learning experience alongside earning the degree,” she adds.
If saving money is the most important factor, look to Brownsville, TX, Springfield, MO, and Lansing, MI who all had the lowest cost of living.
If high costs rule out some prospective schools for you, you may want to reconsider these next three towns. The priciest college towns this year were all nestled in California's Golden State — Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Santa Monica.
WALLETHUB’S METHODS
With a total of 100 potential points allotted per college town, WalletHub weighed the wallet and social categories at 25 points apiece, and the academic and economics category at 50 points.
Within the wallet friendliness category, WalletHub considered metrics such as rent costs, average costs of pizza and burgers, and average student debt per person.
For the social environment category, metrics included factors like the average population of 18–35-year-old students per capita, the number of nightlife options per capita, crime rates, and presence of NCAA Division 1 sports.
Finally, academics and economics account for half the weight, looking at quality of higher education, earning potential for college graduates, entrepreneurial activity, and the job-growth rate.
Next Page: Penn boosts student financial aid.
