2026 Best Value Data Processing Master’s Degree Schools
[Data Processing](/majors/computer-information-sciences/data-processing/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong data processing education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 141 schools to find the best return on investment for data processing students.
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2026 Best Value Data Processing Schools in the United States
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in data processing, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Data Processing Schools
Boston University tops our 2026 list of the best value data processing schools in the United States. Located in the city of Boston, Boston University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $68,102. Typical student debt for data processing graduates is $25,232. Early-career data processing graduates make about $63,598. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Boston University admits about 11% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes Northcentral University one of the best values for data processing. Set in the city of San Diego, Northcentral University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,594. Data Processing graduates carry a median of $42,500 in student loans. Early-career data processing graduates make about $62,828. That is a strong return on a $42,500 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in data processing will find it at George Washington University, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $67,710 in tuition and fees. Data Processing graduates carry a median of $22,910 in student loans. Data Processing graduates of George Washington University earn a median of $73,749 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $22,910 median debt. George Washington University admits about 47% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of San Francisco earned it the #4 place for data processing. Set in the city of San Francisco, University Of San Francisco is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $60,522. Data Processing graduates carry a median of $23,935 in student loans. Data Processing graduates of University Of San Francisco earn a median of $65,223 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 62%.
Other Data Processing Degree Levels
Explore the best-value data processing schools at other degree levels:
View All Data Processing Rankings >
Notes and References
This ranking is produced 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 · 141 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.
