Six degrees that break the $100,000-a-year industry script — sticker prices under $60,000 with placement numbers that don't apologize.
1
Provo, Utah · Private
The cheapest respectable MBA in America — subsidized tuition around $28,000 total — with placement numbers that embarrass schools charging six times more.
2
Austin, Texas · Public
The best value play in the top fifteen: in-state tuition under $60K and an Austin network that compounds yearly as tech payrolls migrate south.
3
Atlanta, Georgia · Public
Sub-$85,000 sticker even for non-residents, Atlanta's Fortune 500 base, and analytics credentials that borrow Georgia Tech's engineering credibility.
This table exists because the industry’s pricing lost its mind: 21 of the top 25 full-time programs now charge six figures per year. Yet BYU Marriott graduates a class at roughly $28,000 total into a $135,000 median salary, Texas residents buy McCombs for about $58,000, and Kelley Direct delivers a four-time No. 1 online degree under $95,000. The quality-price correlation in this market is weaker than any dean will admit.
The honest caveats: every program here wins with a subsidy — church, state, or format — and each subsidy has residency, membership, or geography attached. Check your eligibility before falling in love with the math. Then check the placement columns and notice how little the extra $120,000 elsewhere buys.
Seattle, Washington · Public · Class size 120
More than half of Foster graduates take tech offers, the class is tiny, and Washington residents pay a fraction of coastal-private prices.
Bloomington, Indiana · Public · Class size 175
Kelley Direct tops the U.S. News online ranking again at $94,944 — no asterisk on the diploma — while the Bloomington MBA quietly over-places its sticker price.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina · Public · Class size 260
MBA@UNC climbed to No. 2 in the U.S. News online ranking, and the residential program pairs Southern cost of living with a Research Triangle hiring base.
| # | School | BP Score | Tuition | Avg. GMAT | Acceptance | Median salary | Placed 3 mo. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BYU Marriott School of Business | 83.5 | $28,000 | 680 | 48% | $135,000 | 90% |
| 2 | UT Austin McCombs School of Business | 88.7 | $119,000 | 710 | 28.9% | $152,000 | 91.8% |
| 3 | Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business | 84.2 | $84,000 | 700 | 32% | $145,000 | 87% |
| 4 | UW Foster School of Business | 86.4 | $120,000 | 710 | 35% | $155,000 | 88% |
| 5 | Indiana Kelley School of Business | 85.6 | $110,000 | 685 | 38% | $140,000 | 88% |
| 6 | UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School | 85.1 | $128,000 | 700 | 36% | $150,000 | 84% |
Every figure comes from each school's employment report prepared under the MBA CSEA standard, which is independently audited. Where a school declines to report, we mark it unranked for that pillar rather than estimating.
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Fully rebuilt each June when audited employment reports land, with a mid-cycle data refresh in January.
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