The 25 best colleges in America under $25,000 a year

The average cost of attending a private college was $46,272 last year, but can cost upwards of $60,000 at some institutions.

Fortunately, there are plenty of great schools that cost far less than that.

For our seventh annual list of the 50 best colleges in America, we chose what we perceived to be the top 100 schools and surveyed over 1,000 Business Insider readers, asking them to choose the colleges they think best prepare students for success after graduation. Read more about our methodology here.

We looked at this list and broke out the schools that cost less than $25,000 annually. We considered tuition and mandatory fees.

Most of the schools on the list are public or state schools that grant cheaper tuition rates for in-state residents.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best colleges in America

SEE ALSO: The 50 colleges with the highest starting salaries

25. University of Connecticut

Tuition and fees: $13,366 (in-state), $34,908 (out-of-state)

Average SAT score: 1885

Median starting salary: $51,700

UConn has a built-out career services office, with resources both on campus and online. The online portal features a number of internship, co-op, and full-time job opportunities with companies like Pepperidge Farm, JetBlue, Unilever, and UBS, as well as a number of resources to help students apply and place there.

UConn is a place where "students can receive a stellar education without graduating with a mountain of debt,"according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

24. University of California at Irvine

Tuition and fees: $13,252 (in-state), $37,960 (out-of-state)

Average SAT score: 1740

Median starting salary: $49,300

Part of the prestigious University of California system, UCI is known for its top-rated research programs, which provide opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students alike to participate in research projects.

UC Irvine ranked 23rd for best overall value and 19th for lowest student debt on Kiplinger's annual list of best-value public colleges in the US.

23. University of California at Davis

Tuition and fees: $13,951 (in-state), $38,659 (out-of-state)

Average SAT score: 1815

Median starting salary: $50,800

UC Davis graduates enter a network of over 200,000 living alumni when they complete their degrees. While still in school, students have access to 104 major choices, preparing them for careers in everything from landscape architecture to microbiology to nutrition science.

UC Davis makes scholarships and grants widely available, and 43% of students graduate entirely debt-free.

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