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Cheapest Online Colleges (Out-of-State)

Prices can soar if you’re looking to study at an out-of-state college, even online. Discover the best cheapest online colleges and see how you can save money!

Which Online Colleges are the Most Affordable (Out-Of-State)?

Is the program you’re looking to pursue best in another state? Don’t let the out-of-state tuition costs prevent you from reaching your goals! Browse through the list of cheapest online colleges in the United States with our easy-to-use search tool.

Rank School Name City State Net Cost School Level Retention Rate Out-of-State Cost
1

San Bernardino Valley College

San Bernardino

CA

$7,655

2 year

65.92%

$0

2

United States Merchant Marine Academy

Kings Point

NY

$4,392

4 year

95.33%

$0

3

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute

Albuquerque

NM

$9,222

2 year

35.77%

$0

4

College of Charleston

Charleston

SC

$17,609

4 year

79%

$70

5

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston

SC

$17,450

4 year

85.74%

$410

6

Panola College

Carthage

TX

$9,263

2 year

47.89%

$600

7

Dine College

Tsaile

AZ

$8,595

4 year

80%

$660

8

Blue Ridge Community and Technical College

Martinsburg

WV

$7,579

2 year

54.24%

$720

9

Central Louisiana Technical Community College

Alexandria

LA

$6,959

2 year

37.79%

$1,461

10

New Mexico Junior College

Hobbs

NM

$7,228

2 year

62.25%

$1,488

11

Dodge City Community College

Dodge City

KS

$8,695

2 year

49.14%

$1,500

12

Wharton County Junior College

Wharton

TX

$3,969

2 year

63.77%

$1,536

13

South Plains College

Levelland

TX

$4,266

2 year

46.48%

$1,684

14

Clarendon College

Clarendon

TX

$6,275

2 year

45.6%

$1,752

15

Turtle Mountain Community College

Belcourt

ND

N/A

4 year

77.78%

$1,776

16

Broward College

Fort Lauderdale

FL

$9,417

4 year

N/A

$1,810

17

Allen County Community College

Iola

KS

$7,033

2 year

50.96%

$1,824

18

Oglala Lakota College

Kyle

SD

$3,141

4 year

50%

$1,920

19

Pratt Community College

Pratt

KS

$6,037

2 year

55.15%

$2,016

20

Neosho County Community College

Chanute

KS

$8,605

2 year

54.01%

$2,040

21

Frank Phillips College

Borger

TX

$7,137

2 year

44.2%

$2,100

22

Mesalands Community College

Tucumcari

NM

$6,753

2 year

69.09%

$2,136

23

Clovis Community College

Clovis

NM

$10,024

2 year

59.02%

$2,136

24

Blackfeet Community College

Browning

MT

N/A

2 year

46.15%

$2,160

25

Luna Community College

Las Vegas

NM

$6,430

2 year

48.28%

$2,184

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Going the Affordable Route: Cheapest Online Colleges

Why is out-of-state tuition sometimes expensive? Tuition is cheapest for state residents because state schools receive state taxpayers’ money. For “outsiders,” a school adds anywhere from $0 to many thousands per year. Rest assured, you can still experience online education out-of-state for an affordable price. Sometimes, neighboring states make tuition agreements, giving each other’s residents in-state prices or their lowest out of state tuition rates.

Online Colleges: Tips for Getting the Lowest Tuition

  • Find State-To-State Deals
    • Cross the border for low tuition! State schools often let residents of neighboring states pay in-state tuition. In other cases they guarantee their lowest out-of-state cost to people in the region. Here are three top examples.
    • Midwestern Colleges
      • The Midwest Student Exchange Program automatically gives tuition discounts to residents attending eligible state schools in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, to name a few.
    • New England Colleges
      • More than 80 state colleges and universities forming the New England Board of Higher Education give their lowest out-of-state tuitions to residents of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
    • Western Colleges
      • The Western Undergraduate Exchange includes schools in Alaska and Hawaii along with dozens in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Students must complete extra paperwork in order to be considered. Not all applicants are offered the lowest out-of-state tuition.
      • Many states make independent agreements too. For example, schools in South Dakota give nearly in-state rates to Minnesotans and also have a generous “Border Bonus” for residents of Wyoming.
  • Become a State Resident
    • If you live near school for most of the year, why keep paying out-of-state tuition? Many students forget that they can establish state residency after 12 months. Some ways to help establish residency are registering to vote, getting a state driver’s license and setting up a local bank account.