2026 Best Value Value Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

[Value](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/food-science-technology/brewing-science/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for value students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Value Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in value, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Value Schools
Our analysis ranked Colorado State University Fort Collins the best value for a degree in value in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State University Fort Collins is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $13,373 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $35,061. Value graduates carry a median of $22,843 in student loans. Value graduates of Colorado State University Fort Collins earn a median of $51,693 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.