Affordable Colleges in Nebraska
All 26 colleges in Nebraska, 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 Metropolitan Community College Area at about $4,982 a year; the costliest here is Creighton University at $31,568. A typical Nebraska school on this list lands near $17,747.
Cheapest first, that means Metropolitan Community College Area, Mid-Plains Community College and Western Nebraska Community College. 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 Community Colleges in Nebraska6 community colleges · from $4,982/yr
- Most Affordable Public Universities in Nebraska7 public universities · from $11,632/yr
- Affordable Private Colleges in Nebraska13 private colleges · from $16,590/yr
Every college in Nebraska, cheapest first · 26
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.
- Metropolitan Community College Area
- Mid-Plains Community College
- Western Nebraska Community College
- Central Community College
- Northeast Community College
- Southeast Community College Area
- Peru State College
- Chadron State College
- University of Nebraska at Omaha
- Wayne State College
- University of Nebraska at Kearney
- College of Saint Mary
- Bellevue University
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Nebraska Wesleyan University
- Clarkson College
- York University
- Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health
- Nebraska Indian Community College
- Union Adventist University
- Concordia University-Nebraska
- Hastings College
- Midland University
- Doane University
- Bryan College of Health Sciences
- Creighton University
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable college in Nebraska?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Metropolitan Community College Area at about $4,982 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 Nebraska cost on average?
- Across the 26 colleges in Nebraska that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $17,747 a year after aid, running from $4,982 to $31,568.
- Are community colleges cheaper in Nebraska?
- On this data, yes. The typical two-year college in Nebraska has a net price around $7,024 a year, against about $20,951 at the typical four-year school — a difference of roughly $13,927 a year. Credits often transfer, so two years at a community college can cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.
- 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 11% to 40%, with a middle of about 28%. 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