2026 Best Value Social Science Teacher Education Schools in the Far Western Region

[Social Science Teacher Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/social-science-teacher-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 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools to find the best return on investment for social science teacher education students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Social Science Teacher Education Schools in the Far Western Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the social science teacher education degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Social Science Teacher Education Schools
For return on investment in social science teacher education, no school beat University Of Washington Seattle Campus this year. University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a very large public school located in the city of Seattle. Students from in state pay about $12,973 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $43,209. Students borrow a median of $16,481 to complete the social science teacher education program here. Soon after graduation, social science teacher education degree recipients from University Of Washington Seattle Campus generally make around $65,681. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 39% of applicants are accepted.
Brigham Young University Hawaii came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value social science teacher education schools. Set in the town of Laie, Brigham Young University Hawaii is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,630. Soon after graduation, social science teacher education degree recipients from Brigham Young University Hawaii generally make around $41,461. Brigham Young University Hawaii admits about 47% of applicants.
Central Washington University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in social science teacher education, landing the #3 spot this year. Central Washington University is a very large public school located in the town of Ellensburg. Students from in state pay about $9,417 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $27,526. Social Science Teacher Education graduates carry a median of $23,377 in student loans. Early-career social science teacher education graduates make about $44,178. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 91% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Nevada Reno earned it the #4 place for social science teacher education. University Of Nevada Reno is a very large public school located in the city of Reno. In-state tuition and fees average $9,578, while out-of-state students pay about $27,720. Typical student debt for social science teacher education graduates is $20,769. Early-career social science teacher education graduates make about $47,544. Set against $20,769 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 74%.
Western Washington University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best value social science teacher education schools. Western Washington University is a large public school located in the city of Bellingham. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,582, compared with $28,707 for out-of-state students. Social Science Teacher Education graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, social science teacher education degree recipients from Western Washington University generally make around $37,520. Set against $26,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 93%.
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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 · 10 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.