2026 Best Value Financial Planning & Services Schools in the Far Western Region

[Financial Planning & Services](/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/finance-financial-management/financial-planning-and-services/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong financial planning & services education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for financial planning & services students.
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2026 Best Value Financial Planning & Services Schools in the Far Western Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in financial planning & services, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Financial Planning & Services Schools
For return on investment in financial planning & services, no school beat California Lutheran University this year. Located in the city of Thousand Oaks, California Lutheran University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $52,560. Typical student debt for financial planning & services graduates is $22,727. Soon after graduation, financial planning & services degree recipients from California Lutheran University generally make around $80,356. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. California Lutheran University admits about 76% of applicants.
George Fox University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value financial planning & services schools. George Fox University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Newberg. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $41,320. Students borrow a median of $25,324 to complete the financial planning & services program here. Financial Planning & Services graduates of George Fox University earn a median of $52,898 early in their careers. Set against $25,324 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. George Fox University admits about 94% of applicants.
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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 · 7 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.