Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Auburn University

Students comparing Auburn University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Auburn, Alabama26,816 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 34Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Auburn University: U.S. News ranks it #102 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #163 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #833 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #169 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #84 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #2 Athletic Facilities; QS ranks it #858 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 26,816 undergraduates, admits 45.9% of applicants, and posts a 82.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,922; aid recipients pay $24,323 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $65,337.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
45.9%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$24,323

53% below the $51,548 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$65,337

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
82.0%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$21,000

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1260–1390

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Auburn ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#102of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#163of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#833of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#169of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A#84of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)#2 Athletic FacilitiesListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#858of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: Auburn's position moves 54 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Auburn

Auburn University is a public institution in Auburn, Alabama. Federal data show 94.8% first-year retention and a 21:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $24,323 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $51,548 sticker cost against $24,323 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Auburn University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$12,890

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$34,922

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$16,626

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $51,548 a year, but the average family pays $24,323 — a 53% difference. 12.5% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Auburn's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    21:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    94.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    26,816

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Auburn: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $34,922 and on-campus room and board is $16,626, for a published total of $51,548 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $24,323.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 45.9%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of Texas at Dallas

    Richardson, TXPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Texas at Dallas: U.S. News ranks it #110 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #141 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #582 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #319 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #219 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #604 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 21,751 undergraduates, admits 65.1% of applicants, and posts a 75.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $40,144; aid recipients pay $18,267 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $68,227.

    Acceptance rate
    65.1%
    Average net price
    $18,267
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $68,227
    6-yr graduation rate
    75.7%
    US News · National universities#110 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#141 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#582 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    21,751 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 34 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Kentucky

    Lexington, KYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Kentucky: U.S. News ranks it #143 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #233 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #694 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #258 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #205 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #795 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 24,763 undergraduates, admits 92.9% of applicants, and posts a 71.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,140; aid recipients pay $18,851 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $59,025.

    Acceptance rate
    92.9%
    Average net price
    $18,851
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $59,025
    6-yr graduation rate
    71.4%
    US News · National universities#143 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#233 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#694 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    24,763 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 40 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of North Carolina at Charlotte

    Charlotte, NCPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of North Carolina at Charlotte: U.S. News ranks it #143 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #236 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #191 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #298 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #297 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #1170 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 24,453 undergraduates, admits 79.6% of applicants, and posts a 69.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,492; aid recipients pay $15,435 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,289.

    Acceptance rate
    79.6%
    Average net price
    $15,435
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $57,289
    6-yr graduation rate
    69.0%
    US News · National universities#143 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#236 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#191 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    24,453 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 40 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Auburn against these