MoJo Mini College Guide: 8 Great Schools for Great Value

Salish Kootenai College (MT)

Tuition: $2,844-$9,792 on a three-tier scale, depending on how much Indian heritage you can claim

Best value for: Students hoping for a different kind of res. life

Located on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Pablo, Montana, SKC, considered one of the country's best tribal colleges, has a great Native American Studies Program (PDF), with classes like Hide Tanning, Drumming & Singing, and Coyote Stories.

University of Montevallo (AL)

Tuition: $7,230/$14,460

Best value for: Swamp things

Alabama's only public liberal arts college. Montevallo's Ebenezer Swamp Ecological Preserve and wetlands research center make this school a good choice for aspiring naturalists.

Bethel College (KS)

Tuition: $20,700

Best value for: Students who want to give peace a chance

This small Mennonite college houses the Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, where undergrads can earn a certificate in conflict mediation in addition to their diploma.

SUNY-Geneseo (NY)

Tuition: $4,970/$12,870

Best value for: Take-charge types with a conscience

At this highly selective public liberal arts college in New York's Finger Lakes region, students can learn to be ethical leaders through workshops and service-learning projects offered by the Geneseo Opportunities for Leadership Development (GOLD) program.

Tuskegee University (AL)

Tuition: $16,110

Best value for: Students who want to heal historical wounds

Tuskegee's renowned
National Center for Bioethics in Research and Healthcare was created after the US Public Health Service's syphilis experiments on black sharecroppers from 1932-1972.

Shepherd University (WV)

Tuition: $5,234/$14,046

Best value for: Untouchable incumbents in training

Home of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies, whose mission is "to promote a better understanding of the United States Congress."