2026 Best Value Value Schools in the Southwest Region
[Value](/majors/education/educational-administration/international-school-administration-leadership/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong value education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 1 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for value students.
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2026 Best Value Value Schools in the Southwest Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in value, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Value Schools
Northern Arizona University earned the #1 spot for value among value schools in the Southwest Region. Northern Arizona University is a very large public school located in the city of Flagstaff. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,619, while out-of-state students pay about $20,044. Students borrow a median of $21,645 to complete the value program here. Soon after graduation, value degree recipients from Northern Arizona University generally make around $72,219. Set against $21,645 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Northern Arizona University admits about 90% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school 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.
