For thousands of high school seniors and their families, May 1 marks the close of the college application process. The date, which is also known as National Decision Day, is the deadline by which most colleges require prospective students to have made their decision and submit a deposit for the upcoming fall semester. But students who didn't get into their top schools or didn't receive as much financial aid as they needed to be able to attend still have options: Hundreds of colleges are still accepting applications from high school seniors and transfer students for the fall 2017 semester, and 58 of those schools offer a blend of academic quality and affordability that earns them spots on Kiplinger's 2017 list of Best College Values.
After May 1, the National Association for College Admission Counseling collects the names of schools that still have space available for fall and releases its annual College Opening Update list. This year’s roundup, which we reviewed on May 5, includes more than 450 U.S. colleges and universities –- a mix of private universities, private liberal arts colleges and public institutions ranging in size from tiny schools of about fewer than 1,000 students to mammoth institutions of more than 35,000 undergraduates. Students planning to apply should check with the school's admissions office before compiling their materials to make sure space is still available.
The majority of the schools on NACAC's list, including most of those that also appear on Kiplinger's Best Values list, will still consider applicants for financial aid. By now, schools have already awarded most of their aid money, so you may not receive the same amount or types of aid for which you may have qualified had you applied earlier. You have until June 30, 2017 to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the fall semester.
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Here are the 58 schools from Kiplinger's 2017 list of 300 Best Colleges Values that are still accepting applicants for fall 2017, including 12 that are only accepting applications from transfer students. The schools are listed in the order that they appear in our rankings:
Best Value Schools Accepting Applications for Both Freshmen and Transfer Students
Truman State University (#60 on our combined list)
Whitman College (#64)
Principia College (#65)
Sewanee: The University of the South (#69)
University of Maryland, College Park (#80)
DePauw University (#82)
New College of Florida (#110)
Drake University (#128)
William Jewell College (#136)
Lawrence University (#141)
Beloit College (#160)
Queens College of the City University of New York (#169)
Knox College (#172)
Hendrix College (#176)
University of Missouri (#180)
Saint Louis University (#183)
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (#185)
Rockhurst University (#188)
University of Dayton (#191)
State University of New York at New Paltz (#193)
Luther College (#202)
St. Mary’s College of Maryland (#203)
Willamette University (#204)
University of North Carolina, Wilmington (#210)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (#212)
Houghton College (#215)
Penn State University Park (#217)
University of North Florida (#220)
Butler University (#222)
Birmingham-Southern College (#223)
Hanover College (#224)
University of St. Thomas (#225)
Washington College (#232)
University of Tennessee (#233)
Millsaps College (#238)
University of Louisville (#241)
University of Tulsa (#248)
St. John’s College, Annapolis (#252)
Lake Forest College (#259)
Ripon College (#261)
Hollins University (#268)
Belmont University (#269)
Loyola University Maryland (#273)
Texas Tech University (#278)
Centenary College of Louisiana (#291)
University of Oregon (#299)
Best Value Schools Accepting Applications for Transfer Students Only
University of Florida (#53 on our combined list)
Skidmore College (#79)
Baruch College of the City University of New York (#118)
Elon University (#140)
Appalachian State University (#167)
University of Delaware (#179)
Stevens Institute of Technology (#194)
Baylor University (#207)
Marquette University (#231)
University of San Diego (#277)
Providence College (#285)
University of Vermont (#287)
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