Affordable Colleges in Connecticut
All 27 colleges in Connecticut, ordered by average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships, not the sticker price on the brochure.
The most affordable is University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus at about $10,875 a year; the costliest here is Fairfield University at $48,095. A typical Connecticut school on this list lands near $27,807.
Cheapest first, that means University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus, Connecticut State Community College and University of Connecticut-Avery Point. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is the right place to start looking.
Narrow it down
- Most Affordable Public Universities in Connecticut10 public universities · from $10,875/yr
- Affordable Private Colleges in Connecticut14 private colleges · from $23,777/yr
Every college in Connecticut, cheapest first · 27
Ranked by average net price per year after grants and scholarships — the figure beside each name, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where the school reports it. Schools that report no net price are listed last.
- University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus
- Connecticut State Community College
- University of Connecticut-Avery Point
- Charter Oak State College
- University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus
- University of Connecticut-Stamford
- Central Connecticut State University
- Western Connecticut State University
- Southern Connecticut State University
- Eastern Connecticut State University
- Post University
- Yale University
- University of Connecticut
- University of Bridgeport
- University of Saint Joseph
- Goodwin University
- Wesleyan University
- Mitchell College
- University of Hartford
- Albertus Magnus College
- University of New Haven
- Trinity College
- Connecticut College
- Quinnipiac University
- Arizona College of Nursing - Hartford
- Sacred Heart University
- Fairfield University
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable college in Connecticut?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus at about $10,875 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much does college in Connecticut cost on average?
- Across the 27 colleges in Connecticut that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $27,807 a year after aid, running from $10,875 to $48,095.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the colleges listed here it runs from 7% to 78%, with a middle of about 38%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free