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Brigham Young University is Utah's best buy for a four-year degree, according to a financial tips website.

SmartAsset ranked seven Utah colleges. Reviewers considered tuition and living costs, scholarships and retention. They also took into account graduates' average starting salaries.

The University of Utah came in second, followed by Utah State University.

BYU students pay the lowest tuition among Utah schools — $4,710 a year — and receive the most scholarships and grants. And after graduating from BYU, alumni of the private university in Provo make an average of $50,000, according to the Omaha, Nebraska-based group.

Students pay about $7,100 a year in tuition at the U. and $5,900 at Utah State.

In a larger national snapshot, the University of Michigan took first place, followed by the Colorado School of Mines. No Utah school made the Top 10.

Here are the Utah results, followed by each school's score on the 100-point "College Education Affordability Index":

Brigham Young University — 85

University of Utah — 67

Utah State University — 63

Weber State University — 61

Westminster College — 56

Southern Utah University — 53

Utah Valley University — 51