Among 576 ranked in the U.S. News Best Colleges that enrolled at least 25 international students, 20 have annual total costs of $27,630 or less, according to U.S. News’s latest list of 20 more affordable schools for international students.
The annual costs, which range from $18,639 to $27,630, do not account for financial aid and include tuition and fees, housing and food, books and transportation.
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The campus of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, U.S. Photo courtesy of the university’s Facebook page |
The least expensive school is Delta State University, with annual costs of about $18,600.
Seventeen of the 20 schools are regional universities, while more than one third are located in the Dakotas and North Carolina.
Schools that did not report total costs for international students were excluded from the ranking.
The U.S. attracted 1.18 million international students in the 2024-2025 academic year, generating nearly $55 billion for the economy.
The list of the 20 affordable universities is as follows:
|
No. |
University |
US News ranking |
Total annual cost (USD) |
|
1 |
Cameron University |
98 |
27,600 |
|
2 |
Wisconsin-La Crosse |
14 |
27,600 |
|
3 |
Wisconsin-Whitewater |
31 |
27,600 |
|
4 |
Lake Superior State University |
19 |
27,200 |
|
5 |
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology |
20 |
27,100 |
|
6 |
University of Wisconsin-Parkside |
118 |
26,800 |
|
7 |
Rogers State University |
27 |
26,600 |
|
8 |
Coppin State University |
150-164 |
25,900 |
|
9 |
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania |
55 |
25,500 |
|
10 |
Livingstone College |
67 |
25,100 |
|
11 |
Talladega University |
60 |
23,700 |
|
12 |
Southern Arkansas University |
67 |
23,700 |
|
13 |
Valley City State University |
15 |
23,400 |
|
14 |
Northern State University |
61 |
23,200 |
|
15 |
Dakota State University |
61 |
22,500 |
|
16 |
Fayetteville State University |
52 |
22,200 |
|
17 |
Western Carolina University |
257 |
20,400 |
|
18 |
California State University, Fresno |
183 |
19,700 |
|
19 |
University of the Cumberlands |
395-434 |
19,200 |
|
20 |
Delta State University |
50 |
18,600 |
A recent report by the College Board found that the average annual budget for full-time undergraduate students in the U.S. ranged from about $50,900 at public four-year institutions for out-of-state students to $65,500 at private nonprofit four-year institutions in 2025-2026.
The budgets include tuition and fees, housing and food, books and supplies, transportation, and other expenses.