Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Rural campus · verified rankings · federal data

United States Air Force Academy

Students comparing United States Air Force Academy on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
USAF Academy, Colorado4,114 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 31Public universityHighly selectiveU.S. News ranked

The short answer

United States Air Force Academy: U.S. News ranks it #8 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Niche ranks it #1512 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 4,114 undergraduates, admits 14.1% of applicants, and posts a 87.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is not reported; aid recipients pay not reported on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: not reported.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
14.1%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
Not reportedNot reported by United States Air Force Academy in the most recent federal collection.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Median earnings, 10 yrs
Not reportedNot reported by United States Air Force Academy in the most recent federal collection.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

6-year graduation rate
87.5%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
Not reportedNot reported by United States Air Force Academy in the most recent federal collection.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

SAT middle 50%
1230–1440

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where United States ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Liberal Arts Colleges#8of 210Liberal arts colleges
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1512of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: United States's position moves 54 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About United States

United States Air Force Academy is a public institution in USAF Academy, Colorado. Federal data show 96.5% first-year retention and a 7:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price not reported reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare not reported sticker cost against not reported net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing United States Air Force Academy on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
Not reportedNot reported by United States Air Force Academy in the most recent federal collection.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Out-of-state tuition & fees
Not reportedNot reported by United States Air Force Academy in the most recent federal collection.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Room & board
Not reportedNot reported by United States Air Force Academy in the most recent federal collection.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly Not reported a year. Not reported by United States Air Force Academy in the most recent federal collection.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run United States's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    7:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    96.5%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    4,114

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    United States: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is not reported and on-campus room and board is not reported, for a published total of not reported before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is not reported.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 14.1%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    United States Naval Academy

    Annapolis, MDPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    United States Naval Academy: U.S. News ranks it #4 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Niche ranks it #1496 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 5 Students Love Their College. It enrolls 4,474 undergraduates, admits 9.3% of applicants, and posts a 92.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is not reported; aid recipients pay not reported on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: not reported.

    Acceptance rate
    9.3%
    Average net price
    Not reported
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    Not reported
    6-yr graduation rate
    92.9%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#4 of 207Niche · Overall (Niche)#1496 of 2,605Princeton Review · Overall (Niche)Listed · Top 5 Students Love Their College

    4,474 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 30 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Colorado State University-Fort Collins

    Fort Collins, COPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Colorado State University-Fort Collins: U.S. News ranks it #151 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #243 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #197 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #290 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #252 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #25 Best Quality of Life; QS ranks it #458 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 25,538 undergraduates, admits 88.5% of applicants, and posts a 66.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,783; aid recipients pay $21,279 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $60,543.

    Acceptance rate
    88.5%
    Average net price
    $21,279
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $60,543
    6-yr graduation rate
    66.5%
    US News · National universities#151 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#243 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#197 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    25,538 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 32 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Oregon State University

    Corvallis, ORPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Oregon State University: U.S. News ranks it #143 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #122 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #469 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #300 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #146 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #626 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 30,743 undergraduates, admits 77.3% of applicants, and posts a 70.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $38,190; aid recipients pay $19,604 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $64,010.

    Acceptance rate
    77.3%
    Average net price
    $19,604
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $64,010
    6-yr graduation rate
    70.1%
    US News · National universities#143 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#122 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#469 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    30,743 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 33 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare United States against these