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2026 Best Value Educational Evaluation & Research Schools in California

[Educational Evaluation & Research](/majors/education/educational-assessment/educational-evaluation-and-research/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value educational evaluation & research schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Educational Evaluation & Research Schools in California

2026 Best Value Educational Evaluation & Research Schools in California

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the educational evaluation & research degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Educational Evaluation & Research Schools

1

Stanford University
Stanford, CA

$65,910 In-State Tuition & Fees

$10,492 Avg Student Debt

$124,080 Median Earnings (10yr)

Our analysis ranked Stanford University the best value for a degree in educational evaluation & research in California. Set in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $65,910. Typical student debt for educational evaluation & research graduates is $10,492. Early-career educational evaluation & research graduates make about $100,827. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Stanford University admits about 4% of applicants.

2

University Of California Irvine
Irvine, CA

$14,752 In-State Tuition & Fees

$16,539 Avg Student Debt

$80,735 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in educational evaluation & research will find it at University Of California Irvine, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Irvine, University Of California Irvine is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $14,752, compared with $46,640 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for educational evaluation & research graduates is $16,539. Soon after graduation, educational evaluation & research degree recipients from University Of California Irvine generally make around $50,958. Set against $16,539 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 29%.

View All Educational Evaluation & Research Rankings >

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 · 3 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.