[Instructional Media Design](/majors/education/instructional-media-design/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 2 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for instructional media design students.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the instructional media design degrees they offer, see the list below.
For return on investment in instructional media design, no school beat Essex County College this year. Essex County College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Newark. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $5,415, compared with $9,523 for out-of-state students. Instructional Media Design graduates carry a median of $12,472 in student loans. Instructional Media Design graduates of Essex County College earn a median of $37,915 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $12,472 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in instructional media design will find it at Lone Star College System, which ranked #2. Lone Star College System is a very large public school located in the city of The Woodlands. Students from in state pay about $2,664 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $7,512. Typical student debt for instructional media design graduates is $10,425. Soon after graduation, instructional media design degree recipients from Lone Star College System generally make around $24,321. Set against $10,425 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Looking for a different degree level? Compare best-value Instructional Media Design rankings across degree levels:
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
