[Community College Education](/majors/education/educational-administration/community-college-education/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for community college education students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in community college education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Leading the list is Alcorn State University, our #1 best value for community college education in Mississippi. Alcorn State University is a mid-sized public school located in the rural area of Alcorn State. In-state tuition and fees average $8,785. Students borrow a median of $29,674 to complete the community college education program here. Early-career community college education graduates make about $37,028. That is a strong return on a $29,674 median debt. Alcorn State University admits about 45% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Mississippi State University earned it the #2 place for community college education. Located in the town of Mississippi State, Mississippi State University is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,202, compared with $27,637 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for community college education graduates is $23,969. Soon after graduation, community college education degree recipients from Mississippi State University generally make around $45,794. Set against $23,969 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 78%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 2 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.
