1. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, MI
Austin Thomason—UM Photography, A. Thomason
- Estimated price 2016-17 without aid: $28,100
- Estimated price 2016-17 with average aid: $14,300
- Early career earnings: $59,000
- Average SAT/AVT score: 1380/30
Who wouldn’t want to be a part of an alumni association that has a chapter on the moon? The crew of Apollo 15, all U-M grads, actually left a club charter behind on the lunar surface. One of the country’s most affordable elite schools, the University of Michigan accepts less than a third of the nearly 50,000 students who apply annually.