2027 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in Alabama
[Early Childhood Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-development-levels-methods/early-childhood-education/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
College Factual analyzed 12 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value early childhood education schools.
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2027 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in Alabama
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the early childhood education degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools
For return on investment in early childhood education, no school beat University Of North Alabama this year. University Of North Alabama is a large public school located in the city of Florence. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,120, while out-of-state students pay about $22,320. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $25,000. Early Childhood Education graduates of University Of North Alabama earn a median of $47,767 early in their careers. Set against $25,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.
Bishop State Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Mobile, Bishop State Community College is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $5,340, with out-of-state students paying around $9,210. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $13,712 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of Bishop State Community College earn a median of $35,475 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
University Of West Alabama is a great value for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, landing the #3 spot this year. University Of West Alabama is a large public school located in the rural area of Livingston. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,990, with out-of-state students paying around $20,090. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $31,894. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $54,953. That is a strong return on a $31,894 median debt. Roughly 43% of applicants are accepted.
Jacksonville State University came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best value early childhood education schools. Jacksonville State University is a large public school located in the suburb of Jacksonville. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,894, with out-of-state students paying around $23,334. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $25,114 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of Jacksonville State University earn a median of $46,239 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,114 median debt. Roughly 78% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in early childhood education will find it at Troy University, which ranked #5. Located in the town of Troy, Troy University is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,176, while out-of-state students pay about $20,352. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $25,000. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Troy University generally make around $48,733. That is a strong return on a $25,000 median debt. Roughly 96% of applicants are accepted.
Alabama A And M University earned the #6 position for value in early childhood education this year. Set in the city of Normal, Alabama A And M University is a moderately-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,024, while out-of-state students pay about $18,634. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $31,896 in student loans. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Alabama A And M University generally make around $56,295. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 58% of applicants are accepted.
University Of South Alabama came in at #7 for value in early childhood education this year. University Of South Alabama is a large public school located in the city of Mobile. Students from in state pay about $10,116 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $19,092. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from University Of South Alabama generally make around $45,991. Set against $26,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 71%.
University Of Montevallo ranked #8 on our 2027 list of the best value early childhood education schools. University Of Montevallo is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Montevallo. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,948, compared with $26,968 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $24,750. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $45,558. Set against $24,750 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 54% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Alabama At Birmingham ranked #9 on our 2027 list of the best value early childhood education schools. Set in the city of Birmingham, University Of Alabama At Birmingham is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,098 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $22,562. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $31,000. Early Childhood Education graduates of University Of Alabama At Birmingham earn a median of $47,938 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Alabama At Birmingham admits about 88% of applicants.
Alabama State University earned the #10 position for value in early childhood education this year. Alabama State University is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Montgomery. In-state tuition and fees average $11,248, compared with $19,576 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $34,750. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $46,178. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 98%.
The University Of Alabama came in at #11 for value in early childhood education this year. Located in the city of Tuscaloosa, The University Of Alabama is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $12,180 in tuition and fees, compared with $34,172 for out-of-state students. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $26,875 in student loans. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $50,740. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The University Of Alabama admits about 77% of applicants.
Auburn University placed #12 among the best values for early childhood education. Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn University is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $12,890, while out-of-state students pay about $34,922. Students borrow a median of $22,250 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of Auburn University earn a median of $47,618 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 46%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 12 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 12 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.
