Cheapest Day 1 CPT Universities in the US
Updated in January 2024
For most of our students, the university tuition is extremely important in deciding wether or not to attend that school, especially for those students whose employers are not willing to provide employees with tuition support. Saving provides a financial "backbone" for increases of feelings of security and peace of mind. After all, every penny counts!
Below we listed the five universities with the lowest tuition fees in the United States!
Top 5: University of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg, KY)
From $10,500/year
University of the Cumberlands(UC) is a private non-profit university in Williamsburg, KY.
It's not in a major metropolitan area, but you only have to come to campus once a semester!
UC has a great selection of Day-1 CPT programs for students to choose from:
- MBA
- Master's of Science in Digital Forensics
- Master's in Global Business with Blockchain Technology
- Master of Science in Information Systems Security
- Master's of Science in Information Technology
- Master's in Project Management
- Master's in Strategic Management
- Executive Master's in Cyber-Engineering
- Executive Master's in Finance
- Executive Ph.D. in Business
- Executive Ph.D. in Information Technology
- Executive Ph.D. in Leadership
Tuition for the UC Master's program is only $500 per credit, and the PhD program is only $700 per credit. The master's programs require 35 credits (including CPT-related courses) and lasts about 20 months. The total tuition for the master's program is $17,500, or an average of $10,500 a year.
Top 4: Campbellsville University (Louisville, KY)
From $9,900/year
Campbellsville University (CU) is a comprehensive private Christian university with a CPT-supporting campus in Louisville, KY.
CU's following programs support Day 1 CPT for students who have already earned a Master in the United States:
- Master of Science in Computer Science
- Master of Science in Cloud Computing
- Master of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
The following two programs support the Day 1 CPT for all students.
- Professional Master of Business Administration
- Master of Science in Information Technology Management
For those who choose the above five majors at CU, you can use the full time or part time CPT without interruption. You only need to come to campus one weekend per semester (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, three days) for onsite classes.
CU tuition is a very good deal at $550 per credit. For example, MSIT program is about 20 months long and the total tuition is $19,800, or an average of $9,900 per year.
Top 3: McDaniel College (Westminster, MD)
From $9,900/year
McDaniel College is a non-profit private institution located in Westminster, MD. With a long history and a humanistic approach, McDaniel College offers affordable tuition, a nationally recognized quality of education, and a highly practical program of study.
MS Data Analytics program at McDaniel supports Day-1 CPT. The program requires a total of 30 credits, 6 credits per semester (2 courses), and only one weekend of attendance per semester (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)! The program is completed in 5 semesters (with a semester off for an average of 24 months).
Tuition at McDaniel College is $660 per credit for a total program cost of $19,800, with no additional fee for CPT, which is approximately $9,900 for one year.
Top 2: New England College (Henniker, NH)
From $9,280/year
New England College (NEC) is a non-profit private university located in the quiet town of Henniker, NH, near the bustling cities of New York and Boston.
NEC has three very popular graduate programs that support Day-1 CPT:
- Master of Science in Data Analytics
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of IT&Cybersecurity
The programs are about two years long, and only require one onsite attendance per semester!
NEC's tuition is $440 per credit and miscellaneous fees are $160 per semester. For example, 40 credits are required for NEC's MBA program and the total cost is $18,560, which takes about 6 semesters (24 months) to complete, averaging about $9,280 a year.
Top 1: Trine University (Allen Park, MI & Phoenix, AZ & Reston, VA)
From $9,280/year
Trine University is a non-profit private university. With two campuses in Detroit (Allen Park, MI), Phoenix (Phoenix, AZ), and D.C.(Reston, VA) supporting Day 1 CPT, Trine allow students to choose nearest campus to take their onsite courses.
Trine has the following four master's programs that support Day 1 CPT.
- MBA Business Administration.
- MSBA Master of Business Analytics
- Master of Science in Engineering Management
- Master of Science in Information Studies
Although the campuses of Trine are in the central west of the United States, because it only requires onsite attendance once a semester, students in the West Coast and East Coast can also take this school into consideration!
Trine University's tuition is $575 per credit, plus the Enrollment Fee, Health Insurance (which can be waived), and 0.5 credits of CPT per semester, for a total cost of $4,500 per semester (2 courses per semester), and a total cost of $22,500 for the graduate program(Total cost minus insurance: $18,750).
Students can use up to 2.5 year to finish Graduate Programs at Trine( Annual costs: $7,500, excluding insurance).
Note: All the information above are time sensitive. We recommend contacting professional lawyers or the school DSO before making any decisions. None of the information in this article is intended to provide legal advice.
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