The Cheapest Flagship Universities for Out-of-State Students in 2026-27
Out-of-state tuition at public flagships ranges from $13,616 at South Dakota to $67,096 at Michigan. Here's where the bargains are and why the sticker price doesn't tell the whole story.
Going to a public university out of state can cost almost as much as going to a private college. But the price varies a lot from one state’s flagship to the next. CollegeIntel ranked 51 public flagships by 2026-27 out-of-state tuition and fees. The cheapest charges less than a quarter of what the most expensive one does.
The 10 cheapest flagships
| Rank | University | Out-of-state | In-state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of South Dakota | $13,616 | $9,916 |
| 2 | University of North Dakota | $17,479 | $12,289 |
| 3 | University of Wyoming | $25,392 | $8,532 |
| 4 | University of Oklahoma | $29,163 | $10,485 |
| 5 | University of Idaho | $29,300 | $9,824 |
| 6 | LSU | $29,643 | $12,966 |
| 7 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | $30,450 | $11,730 |
| 8 | Ole Miss | $31,168 | $10,378 |
| 9 | University of Nevada, Reno | $31,268 | $11,079 |
| 10 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | $31,542 | $11,472 |
Only six flagships charge out-of-state students less than $30,000. The median is $38,800 (South Carolina).
The most expensive
At the other end of the list, Michigan charges $67,096, Virginia charges $62,054, and UC Berkeley charges $57,484. Michigan and South Dakota are $53,480 apart each year. Over four years, that adds up to more than $210,000 before financial aid.
The cheapest deals are the discounts
Several schools on the list charge some out-of-state students even less than the listed price:
- South Dakota charges the in-state rate ($9,916) to new students from 11 nearby states, including Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, and Wisconsin, and to children of USD alumni.
- North Dakota charges Minnesota residents a lower rate of $13,535.
- Idaho and Nevada take part in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE). Students from Western states pay $13,538 at Idaho and $15,770 at Nevada, less than half the regular out-of-state rate.
- Alaska Fairbanks plans to charge every new student the in-state rate starting in fall 2027, pending approval from University of Alaska regents in November 2026.
How much you pay for not being a resident varies
The gap between in-state and out-of-state tuition varies a lot. At South Dakota, out-of-state students pay about 1.4 times the in-state rate. At Florida, they pay more than five times as much ($34,616 vs. $6,436), and UNC Chapel Hill is close behind ($49,593 vs. $9,351). Schools like these are designed mainly for their own state’s residents, so out-of-state students make up the difference.
Key takeaways
- The cheapest flagships are mostly in the Plains and the West. South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming lead the list.
- Look for exchange programs before the sticker price. If you live near South Dakota or in a WUE state, you may pay much less than the listed rate.
- These are tuition and fees only. Housing, food, and travel aren’t included, and some figures depend on credit load or major. Nebraska’s business, architecture, and engineering courses cost more.
- Prices are before financial aid. Merit scholarships can change the comparison, so run each school’s net price calculator.
For the full ranking of all 51 flagships, with notes on each school’s fees, read CollegeIntel’s list of the cheapest out-of-state flagship universities for 2026-27. It’s a good place to start if you’re building a college list on a budget.