Top 10 best value private colleges in America

#4 – Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va.

John Nordell / The Christian Science Monitor / File
George Washington sits on his horse in Boston's Public Garden, in this 2001 file photo. President Washington contributed $20,000 worth of stock to the struggling school in 1796; proceeds from the gift still contribute to the school's operating budget.

Though "University" is in the name, Washington and Lee is a liberal-arts college, and one of the last in America to go coed: the first women graduated in 1985. Its sticker price is $52,330, but financial aid handles 59 percent of it, plus it gives the most generous merit-based financial aid awards of any school on the Top 10 list. Despite this, their students graduate with the most average debt, at $23,615.

7 of 10
You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.