By John Walters

Do you think it's more difficult to get into Stanford or into a four-bedroom home in neighboring Palo Alto? Would you rather pay $160,000 for a four-year education from Notre Dame or scrimp together an additional 13 grand and purchase a 2,200-square foot home in South Bend that may appreciate in value much more rapidly than your B.A. in English?

A family walks by Notre Dame's Golden Dome in South Bend, the fourth most affordable college town in America. John Biever/SI

Those were not the questions that Coldwell Banker president and CEO Jim Gillespie set out to answer when he created his Most Affordable College Town list, but in effect, he has. Last fall Gillespie and David Siroty, Coldwell Banker's media relations director, found themselves stuck on a train outside of Baltimore.

"We're both big sports fans," says Gillespie, "and we already do a Market Home Price Comparison Index for 319 U.S. markets. We got to thinking, 'How about one just for college towns?'"

The study, conducted between July and October of this year, examined 59 college towns and explores just one factor: the median price of a "middle management home", which is defined as a single-family dwelling that is approximately 2,200 square feet, with four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a family room and a two-car garage (Now, if you are a scholarship basketball or football player and this describes your dwelling, expect a visit from the NCAA pronto).

As a result, Coldwell Banker has identified the 10 most and 10 least affordable college towns, based on the price of a home.

10 MOST AFFORDABLE

1. Texas Tech: Lubbock, Texas --  $164,133

2. Mississippi State: Starkville, Miss. -- $169,433

3. LSU: Baton Rouge, LA. -- $173,317

4. Notre Dame: South Bend, Ind. -- $173,600

5. Tennessee: Knoxville, Tenn. -- $175,250

6. Clemson: Clemson, S.C. -- $176,475

7. Baylor: Waco, Texas -- $178,500

8. Mississippi: Oxford, Miss. -- $179,550

9. Kansas State: Manhattan, Kan. -- $185,850

10. South Carolina: Columbia, S.C. -- $190,058