UW Listed Among Americas 100 Best College Buys

The University of Wyoming has been recognized as one of “America’s 100 Best College Buys” for its low cost of attendance and the high caliber of its students.

Institutional Research and Evaluation Inc., an independent research and consulting organization specializing in the recruiting and retention of students, annually identifies 100 American colleges and universities “providing students the very highest quality education at the lowest cost.”

The organization, based in Rome, Ga., surveys all 1,455 accredited U.S. colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degree programs and provide facilities for room and board.

According to the ranking, UW’s cost of attendance for the 2018-19 academic year -- including tuition, fees, room and board -- is $14,367 for Wyoming resident undergraduates and $26,457 for nonresidents. The national average cost of attendance, based upon the regular cost at private institutions and the out-of-state cost at public institutions, is $44,165.

The average high school grade-point average for UW’s first-time freshmen is 3.48; the average ACT score is 25; and the average SAT score is 1,165. UW exceeds the national averages for all of those metrics, which are 3.44 for high school GPA; 23 for ACT scores; and 1,124 for SAT scores.

Other universities in the region on the “America’s 100 Best College Buys” list include:

-- Colorado State University, whose cost of attendance is $23,722 for resident undergraduates and $41,624 for nonresidents, with an average ACT score of 25 for first-time freshmen.

-- The University of Idaho, whose cost of attendance is $16,744 for residents and $34,380 for nonresidents, with an average ACT score of 23.

-- Montana State University, whose cost of attendance is $17,378 for residents and $35,092 for nonresidents, with an average ACT score of 25.

-- The University of Utah, whose cost of attendance is $18,696 for residents and $36,612 for nonresidents, with an average ACT score of 26.

-- Utah State University, whose cost of attendance is $13,824 for residents and $27,905 for nonresidents, with an average ACT score of 25.

Among other national college rankings for the current academic year, UW also ranks in the top 100 (No. 99) on U.S. News & World Report’s list of “top public universities”; No. 71 on Washington Monthly’s ranking of national universities; No. 74 on the website Niche’s ranking of public universities; and No. 10 on College Factual’s list of “best colleges for the money.”