The 2026 Non-Residency Affordable Colleges List

One of the first things families and students mention when they describe what they’re looking for in colleges is fit. The second thing they mention is wanting to pay no more than the cost of in-state tuition in Virginia, where many Foreign Service and military families have either residency or residency-equivalent benefits for tuition purposes.

But, what if Virginia doesn’t offer what the student wants? What if the colleges that offer what they’re looking for are unattainable for their stats and background? What if they hate the weather, geography or distance from family support networks?

Then it’s time for these lists: the USA colleges and universities whose out-of-state rates are going to have a cost of attendance rate under the in-state rates in Virginia. In August of 2026, the cost of attendance at most Virginia public universities ranges between $42,000 and $48,000.

For the purposes of creating these lists, I’ve set the price limit at $45,000, and added an honorable mention list at the end for schools whose cost of attendance is between $45,000 and $46,000. The lists below include public, private, religious, HBCU, work-colleges, and other specialty schools.

The Sub-$25k Total Sticker Price

Before any scholarships, grants or financial aid, these are the schools whose total cost is under $25,000 including tuition, fees, room, board, and estimated expenses and regardless of your state of residency:

Many of these also offer automatic scholarships to students whose GPA or standardized test scores meet certain minimums. Check the financial aid pages at each school to see more.

The In-State Cost is so Cheap that I’m Jealous List

And, for the lucky few, schools with in-state tuition and fees so low that their total Cost of Attendance comes in under $25,000, but for in-state residents only. Schools that are this cheap for everyone are already listed above.

Appalachian State University
Florida Gulf Coast University

Idaho State University
Iowa State University

University of Florida

The Sub-$25k Tuition list

These schools have a tuition and fees cost under $25k for US Citizens, regardless of your residency location.

School names in bold have a tuition and fees cost under $10,000
An asterisk (*) after a school name denotes that the school charges the same tuition for both in- and out-of-state residents


The “Best Guess at Costing under $45k total per year” for those earning more than $110,000 per year list

These are the schools whose price is not guaranteed to be under Virginia’s likely cost of attendance, but which are, for students in this familial income bracket, most likely to cost less than Virginia‘s costs. The target here includes tuition, fees, room, board, and estimated expenses and is based on historical data on scholarships and grants offered. Find out more at tuitiontracker.org

The Best-Guesses, Honorable Mentions

Schools whose predicted Cost of Attendance for family incomes above $110,000 is between $45,000 and $46,000 per year, just over my cut-off to make the list above.

2022 Scholarship Programs for Foreign Service Students

In addition to the following scholarships, most Foreign Service students are also eligible for any scholarship open to US Citizens, but sometimes those scholarships require attendance at a domestic high school. Many TCK scholarships also exist, but are limited to the children of missionaries or international school teachers.
This is a list of the scholarship programs I know of, please email me if you hear of any additional scholarships that support diplomatic, military or private sector expats.
LinkDeadline
American Foreign Service Association Merit Awards
AFSA offers one-time only, competitive merit awards to high school seniors graduating in 2022. Requires a 500 word essay and academic achievement. Awards of $3500 and $1500. At least one parent must be an AFSA member.
https://afsa.org/afsa-scholarshipsMarch 14, 2022
American Foreign Service Association Art Merit Awards
AFSA offers one-time only, competitive merit awards to high school seniors graduating in 2022. Requires a 500 word essay and submission of portfolio works. Awards of $3500 and $2000. At least one parent must be an AFSA member.
https://afsa.org/afsa-scholarshipsMarch 14, 2022
American Foreign Service Association Community Service Awards
AFSA offers one-time only, competitive merit awards to high school seniors graduating in 2022. Requires a 500 word essay and submission of 150 word explanation of each service activity undertaken. At least one parent must be an AFSA member.
https://afsa.org/afsa-scholarshipsMarch 14, 2022
American Foreign Service Association Finanical Aid Awards
The AFSA Scholarship Fund offers one-time only financial aid scholarships to High School seniors, college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Requires minimum 2.5 GPA and submission of the FAFSA to prove financial need. Awards approximately 60 need-based scholarships ranging from $2,000-$6,000 .At least one parent must be an AFSA member.
https://afsa.org/afsa-scholarshipsMarch 14, 2022
Foreign Service Youth Foundation Scholarship
FSYF annually offers three academic Scholarships of $2,000 per award. Family must be current members of FSYF by the deadline
https://fsyf.org/Scholarship/March 2, 2022
Foreign Service Youth Foundation Essay Contest
Middle and high school students are invited to reflect on their experience by responding to an essay prompt. Prize amounts vary. Family must be current members of FSYF by the deadline
https://fsyf.org/EssayMarch 30, 2022
Foreign Service Youth Foundation Community Service Contest
Recognizes Foreign Service youth who demonstrate outstanding volunteer efforts in service to their community or to their peers. Prize amounts vary. Family must be current members of FSYF by the deadline
https://fsyf.org/CSAMarch 23, 2022
Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide Merit Scholarship for College Students
AAFSW offers two current college freshmen, sophomores or juniors continuing college scholarships of $2,500 each.
https://www.aafsw.org/aafsws-scholarships-2/annually in April
AAFSW’s Twice Exceptional Merit Scholarship
Rewards academic excellence for high school seniors and/or college students who have shown resilience and have academically overcome adversity due to special needs. The AAFSW Merit Scholarship is meant for high school seniors and/or college students who already have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). a 504, or an equivalent program in place. Two scholarships are available for $2,500 each.
https://www.aafsw.org/aafsws-scholarships-2/annually in April
AAFSW Judy Felt Memorial Volunteerism Scholarship
Students who submit an application for the AAFSW Merit Scholarship or the Twice Exceptional Scholarship are automatically considered for the Judy Felt Scholarship. Awards of $1000
https://www.aafsw.org/aafsws-scholarships-2/annually in April
State Department Federal Credit Union (SDFCU) Scholarship Fund
Awarded to current university students who have completed at least 12 credits and achieved a GPA of at least 2.5. Award amounts vary each year. Applicants must be current SFFCU members.
https://www.sdfcu.org/scholarship-programApplication season opens in February
Sherry Barndollar Rock Scholarship for Meeting the Education Needs of Foreign Service Spouses and Partners from Dacor Bacon House
Privodies up to $4,000 annually to the spouses and partners of Foreign Service employees assigned abroad to pursue educational goals which may have been disrupted by the spouse’s Foreign Service career. Applicants must be members of Dacor.
https://dacorbacon.org/sherry_barndollar_rock_scholar.phpJanuary 31, 2022
Dreyfuss Scholarships from Dacor Bacon House
for dependents of the Foreign Service at Yale and Hotchkiss
Applications for grants for study at Yale must be submitted directly to DACOR by May 1. All eligible applicants receive an award; the amount is dependent upon how many eligible applicants there are. Hotchkiss applications are made directly to the Office of Financial Aid at Hotchkiss.
http://www.dacorbacon.org/scholarships_fellowships.phpMay 1 Annually
OPM Tuition Benefit Partners
Several universities around the US have partnered with the OPM to offer spouses and dependents of government employess discounted tuition. Discounts and benefits vary by institution. Some programs are in person, some are online.
https://www.opm.gov/wiki/training/our-academic-partners.ashxno deadline
Clements Expat Youth Scholarship
has been on hiatus for several years. Clements is considering bringing back the scholarship program in 2022. Sign up at this link to receive updates on the new program.
https://www.clements.com/expat-youth-scholarship