2022 best colleges in Alaska

Alaska is unmatched when it comes to finding high-quality education in a rural setting for a great price. Alaska offers one of the least expensive in-state tuition costs nationwide, with average tuition and fees just over $6,000 per year. The state’s largest university is the University of Alaska, with campuses in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. Alaska Pacific University earns recognition for its exceptional Nordic ski team. Alaska is also home to Ilisagvik College, a public tribal college and the northernmost accredited community college in the United States.

More Rankings

Net cost: The median annual cost of all students that receive any aid. This does not refer to the “sticker price”, the price listed by the college.

Earnings: The median earnings of all bachelor-level students 10 years after enrollment. This includes both students that do and do not graduate, across all majors.

Payback: The amount of time in years it takes to pay off the median net cost by the median earnings. For this calculation, the median earning of high school graduates (in the school’s home state) are deducted from the median earnings.

Degree premium: The difference between the school’s median earnings and the median earnings for all schools in the same state. This is called “Vs. state average” in school profiles below.

Ranking: The payback rate is divided by the degree premium (set as a percentage), the lower the number the higher the rank. (i.e. payback=1, degree premium 20% higher than state school median: 1/120% = .883.

Net cost

Earnings

Payback

Degree premium

Rankings

Ranking methodology

#1 in Alaska

Alaska Pacific University

Anchorage, Alaska

Admission rate: 91%

Grad rate: 42%

Net cost: $18,602

Payback: 4.0 Years

Earnings: $47,267

Vs. state average: + $979

Economic score: 3.96

Go to School

#2 in Alaska

University of Alaska Southeast

Juneau, Alaska

Admission rate: 64%

Grad rate: 40%

Net cost: $11,787

Payback: 3.9 Years

Earnings: $40,727

Vs. state average: - $5,561

Economic score: 4.41

Go to School

#3 in Alaska

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks, Alaska

Admission rate: 68%

Grad rate: 33%

Net cost: $10,333

Payback: 2.5 Years

Earnings: $43,728

Vs. state average: - $2,560

Economic score: 2.68

Go to School

#4 in Alaska

University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, Alaska

Admission rate: 77%

Grad rate: 34%

Net cost: $12,995

Payback: 2.9 Years

Earnings: $47,891

Vs. state average: + $1,603

Economic score: 2.76

Go to School