MoJo Mini College Guide: 8 Great Schools for Great Value

Sonoma State University (CA)

Tuition: $2,754 in-state/$8,334 out-of-state

Best value for: Pinot-loving building nerds

Most famous for its wine-business program, Sonoma State is also home to the Environmental Technology Center, a sustainable-architecture think tank where students can learn the basics of green building.

University of Maine-Farmington

Tuition: $8,032/$16,768

Best value for: Ski bums with smarts

An academically rigorous public liberal arts college perched in the foothills of western Maine, Farmington caters to outdoorsy types with majors like Environmental Planning and Policy and Outdoor Recreation Business Administration.

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.”