by our College Data Analytics Team
[Health Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/health-education/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for health education students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in health education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Vanderbilt University tops our 2027 list of the best value health education schools in Tennessee. Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $67,498. Typical student debt for health education graduates is $13,975. Early-career health education graduates make about $77,997. That is a strong return on a $13,975 median debt. Roughly 6% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in health education will find it at Lee University, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Cleveland, Lee University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $23,790 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for health education graduates is $29,625. Early-career health education graduates make about $48,056. Set against $29,625 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 70% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #3 makes Maryville College one of the best values for health education. Maryville College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Maryville. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $39,284. Students borrow a median of $26,428 to complete the health education program here. Soon after graduation, health education degree recipients from Maryville College generally make around $42,971. Set against $26,428 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Maryville College admits about 61% of applicants.
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 · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.