Sep 19, 2016 09:14 AM EDT By Emily Marks, UniversityHerald Reporter

Usually, students who decide to go out-of-state for their college education pay more than those who remain in-state. However, there are still universities that offer affordable rates for out-of-state students.

It was previously reported that about 43 percent of incoming freshmen admitted that the cost of attendance is a "very important" factor in their final college selection. State colleges are generally viewed as the least expensive route.

In-state tuition at public universities costs about $10,000 less than out-of-state tuition for the 2012-2013 school year. There are ways, though, that students can save thousands of dollars on tuition without being confined to their home state.

Students can research on residency requirements for the state that they want to study in and take a gap year to relocate so that they can establish residency. Eastern Oregon University has set tuition at $7,046 for all students, regardless of where they live.

U.S. News shared the top 10 universities that have the cheapest out-of-state tuition. The average cost among the 10 schools, for the school year of 2016-2017, was around $7,909.

This is significantly lower than the average of all 334 ranked schools at $21,377. Moreover, the average in-state tuition among public universities was at $9,130 for 2016-2017.

West Texas A&M University is the most expensive on the list with $8,959. It is closely followed by Dickinson State University at $8,918 and New Mexico Highlands University at $8,650.

In the lower $8000 bracket are Bemidji State University with $8,386, Southwest Minnesota State University with $8,336 and Central State University with $8,096. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is at $7,866.

The top 3 universities with the cheapest out-of-state tuition rates are Alcorn State University ($6,552), Minot State University ($6,568) and Gordon State College ($6,761). Half of the 10 schools with the lowest rates are in the Midwest. The others are based in the South and West. North Dakota, Minnesota and Texas had two schools on the list.

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