Want Lower College Costs? Start in the Midwest (66 Great Options)

By V. Peter Pitts, MA

Want Lower College Costs? Start in the Midwest (66 Great Options)

By V. Peter Pitts, MA

Published on March 28, 2026

Many people in the Paying for College 101 Facebook group are from the East and West coasts of the United States. Unfortunately, in regard to the cost of a small college education, those two coasts are the most expensive. Even if the college gives a substantial amount of merit aid, the average out-of-pocket cost for higher-income families tends to be in the upper $30K to lower $50K range.

Without Federal or State need-based assistance, finding a college that costs less than $30K on the coasts is like finding a needle in a haystack.

A Smarter Strategy: Look to the Midwest

So—where to go? I suggest taking a long, hard look at the Midwestern part of the U.S. The following list of 66 small colleges would be a good place to begin.

These colleges have lower tuition and (especially) lower housing/food costs. Plus, they offer a LOT of merit aid. Twenty-nine of them even offer some full-tuition scholarship opportunities to high academic profile students. These are noted by an (*) asterisk.

What Makes These Colleges Stand Out

The average enrollment at these small colleges is 1,296. Average costs vary, but paying upper $20K’s (for tuition, housing, and food) is certainly common at these schools. Despite an average “sticker price” of $52K, the average amount of merit aid is over $20K, so most higher-income families pay (at the priciest) between $28K and $32K.

Acceptance rates range from 44-99% (averaging 76%).

This is certainly a financially secure and academically sound group of colleges. I worked for one of them (Monmouth College in Illinois) for 27 years, and I can vouch for the power of these small colleges in terms of changing the lives of their students.

Worth a look!

66 Small Colleges Offering Strong Value

Iowa

Buena Vista University IA
Mount Mercy University* IA
Northwestern College IA
Simpson College* IA
University of Dubuque IA
St. Ambrose University IA

Illinois

Augustana College IL
Blackburn College IL
Elmhurst University IL
Eureka College* IL
Illinois College* IL
Knox College IL
Millikin University* IL
Monmouth College* IL
National-Louis University IL
North Central College IL
North Park University IL
Principia College IL

Indiana

Earlham College IN
Franklin College* IN
Goshen College IN
Hanover College IN
Indiana Tech* IN
Indiana Wesleyan Univ-Marion IN
Taylor University* IN
Trine University* IN
University of St. Francis* IN
Valparaiso University IN
Wabash College* IN

Kansas

McPherson College KS
Tabor College KS
University of Saint Mary* KS

Michigan

Alma College* MI
Andrews University MI
Calvin University MI
Kalamazoo College MI
Northwood University MI

Minnesota

Bethany Lutheran College MN
Concordia College–Moorhead* MN
Hamline University MN
Saint Catherine University* MN
The College of St. Scholastica MN
University of Northwestern-St Paul MN

North Dakota

University of Jamestown* ND

Nebraska

Clarkson College NE
College of Saint Mary NE
Concordia University -Nebraska NE
Hastings College* NE

Ohio

Bluffton University* OH
Capital University* OH
Franciscan U of Steubenville OH
Heidelberg University OH
Mount Saint Joseph University* OH
Mt. Vernon Nazarene University* OH
Muskingum University* OH
Ohio Northern University* OH
Otterbein University* OH
University of Mount Union* OH
Ursuline College (Gannon University) OH
Wilberforce University* OH
Wilmington College* OH

South Dakota

Augustana University SD

Wisconsin

Beloit College WI
Ripon College WI
Viterbo University* WI
Wisconsin Lutheran College WI

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Use R2C Insights to help find merit aid and schools that fit the criteria most important to your student. You’ll not only save precious time, but your student will avoid the heartache of applying to schools they aren’t likely to get into or can’t afford to attend.

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