What makes a college a “hidden gem” here?

We rank colleges that admit at least 40% of applicants (so they're realistically attainable) by value — median 10-year earnings ÷ average annual net price, from College Scorecard. The result surfaces accessible schools with outcomes that rival far more selective names.

Why exclude the most selective schools?

Elite, hard-to-enter schools are already well-known and covered elsewhere. The point of this list is to highlight strong-value options that get overlooked because they admit more students.

Hidden-Gem Colleges: High Value, Not Hyper-Selective — AdmitQuant

Hidden-gem colleges

Colleges that admit a healthy share of applicants (≥40%) yet deliver strong earnings-to-cost value — the underrated schools worth a serious look. Ranked from College Scorecard; model your odds and net price at each.

#	College	Location	Value	Earnings (10 yr)	Net price	Accept.
1	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College	New York, NY	25.0×	$75,971	$3,033	48%
2	CUNY Hunter College	New York, NY	21.2×	$63,163	$2,984	54%
3	CUNY Brooklyn College	Brooklyn, NY	19.6×	$60,752	$3,103	58%
4	CUNY Lehman College	Bronx, NY	18.4×	$58,013	$3,148	57%
5	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice	New York, NY	17.5×	$56,195	$3,203	57%
6	CUNY City College	New York, NY	17.5×	$66,039	$3,776	60%
7	CUNY Queens College	Queens, NY	15.0×	$62,763	$4,195	64%
8	University of Florida-Online	Gainesville, FL	14.9×	$71,588	$4,815	61%
9	Texas A & M International University	Laredo, TX	13.3×	$48,386	$3,637	44%
10	CUNY York College	Jamaica, NY	12.8×	$56,945	$4,456	64%
11	Indiana University-Northwest	Gary, IN	8.5×	$43,361	$5,130	73%
12	Purdue University Northwest	Hammond, IN	7.9×	$48,318	$6,079	72%
13	New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology	Socorro, NM	7.7×	$76,489	$9,873	44%
14	University of Michigan-Flint	Flint, MI	7.6×	$53,230	$7,007	70%
15	Louisiana State University-Shreveport	Shreveport, LA	6.8×	$47,477	$7,022	51%
16	Florida International University	Miami, FL	6.5×	$60,249	$9,288	55%
17	Florida Atlantic University	Boca Raton, FL	6.5×	$56,746	$8,752	66%
18	Farmingdale State College	Farmingdale, NY	6.4×	$69,781	$10,867	63%
19	University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma	Chickasha, OK	6.3×	$41,913	$6,624	66%
20	Elizabeth City State University	Elizabeth City, NC	6.3×	$40,026	$6,364	64%
21	University of Michigan-Dearborn	Dearborn, MI	6.3×	$59,649	$9,492	56%
22	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	Pomona, CA	6.2×	$71,902	$11,531	75%
23	California State University-Long Beach	Long Beach, CA	6.2×	$64,403	$10,440	46%
24	Northern Kentucky University	Highland Heights, KY	6.1×	$50,220	$8,191	68%
25	University of South Florida	Tampa, FL	5.9×	$57,743	$9,812	43%
26	Clayton State University	Morrow, GA	5.9×	$49,179	$8,365	68%
27	Indiana University-East	Richmond, IN	5.8×	$47,156	$8,134	67%
28	University of Minnesota-Morris	Morris, MN	5.8×	$50,919	$8,837	75%
29	Illinois	Champaign, IL	5.6×	$81,054	$14,355	42%
30	Southeastern Oklahoma State University	Durant, OK	5.6×	$45,079	$8,039	76%
31	University of Central Florida	Orlando, FL	5.6×	$58,308	$10,411	40%
32	University of North Florida	Jacksonville, FL	5.5×	$56,343	$10,154	53%
33	UC Davis	Davis, CA	5.5×	$80,838	$14,741	42%
34	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus	Denver, CO	5.4×	$64,270	$11,900	75%
35	Maryland	College Park, MD	5.3×	$82,860	$15,678	45%
36	University of West Florida	Pensacola, FL	5.2×	$49,137	$9,364	58%
37	East Central University	Ada, OK	5.2×	$44,962	$8,683	58%
38	Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College	Tifton, GA	5.1×	$34,996	$6,842	76%
39	New Jersey Institute of Technology	Newark, NJ	5.1×	$84,276	$16,504	65%
40	University of North Georgia	Dahlonega, GA	5.1×	$50,135	$9,823	68%
41	Missouri University of Science and Technology	Rolla, MO	5.1×	$82,957	$16,298	73%
42	Purdue	West Lafayette, IN	5.0×	$72,424	$14,600	50%
43	University of St Francis	Joliet, IL	4.9×	$63,926	$13,006	65%
44	BYU	Provo, UT	4.9×	$75,790	$15,564	68%
45	Saginaw Valley State University	University Center, MI	4.8×	$51,955	$10,775	72%
46	Holy Family University	Philadelphia, PA	4.7×	$62,235	$13,143	71%
47	UC Riverside	Riverside, CA	4.7×	$67,699	$14,304	76%
48	Indiana University-Indianapolis	Indianapolis, IN	4.7×	$55,198	$11,668	76%
49	Governors State University	University Park, IL	4.7×	$58,169	$12,329	48%
50	University of Detroit Mercy	Detroit, MI	4.7×	$71,030	$15,232	75%
51	Coppin State University	Baltimore, MD	4.7×	$46,490	$9,977	46%
52	SUNY Buffalo State University	Buffalo, NY	4.6×	$52,334	$11,346	73%
53	Kean University	Union, NJ	4.6×	$57,237	$12,447	76%
54	Virginia Military Institute	Lexington, VA	4.5×	$77,369	$17,113	71%
55	Valdosta State University	Valdosta, GA	4.5×	$49,361	$10,945	72%
56	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide	Daytona Beach, FL	4.5×	$84,131	$18,725	58%
57	Illinois Tech	Chicago, IL	4.5×	$82,592	$18,425	55%
58	University of Missouri-Kansas City	Kansas City, MO	4.5×	$59,637	$13,310	72%
59	Morehead State University	Morehead, KY	4.4×	$43,197	$9,793	77%
60	Northwestern Oklahoma State University	Alva, OK	4.4×	$44,358	$10,104	65%

Quick answers

What makes a college a “hidden gem” here?: We rank colleges that admit at least 40% of applicants (so they're realistically attainable) by value — median 10-year earnings ÷ average annual net price, from College Scorecard. The result surfaces accessible schools with outcomes that rival far more selective names.
Why exclude the most selective schools?: Elite, hard-to-enter schools are already well-known and covered elsewhere. The point of this list is to highlight strong-value options that get overlooked because they admit more students.

Earnings and net price are College Scorecard estimates that lag ~2 years and cover all students, not your specific major. Not a guarantee of individual outcomes.

These outputs are estimates from a baseline model — not guarantees of admission, cost, or outcome.