2026 Best Value Value Schools in the Southeast Region
[Value](/majors/engineering/electrical-and-computer-engineering/general/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong value education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for value students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Value Schools in the Southeast Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in value, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Value Schools
University Of Alabama At Birmingham tops our 2026 list of the best value value schools in the Southeast Region. Located in the city of Birmingham, University Of Alabama At Birmingham is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,098, compared with $22,562 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for value graduates is $26,162. Value graduates of University Of Alabama At Birmingham earn a median of $55,413 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.
Vanderbilt University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in value, landing the #2 spot this year. Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. Students from in state pay about $67,498 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $13,975 to complete the value program here. Soon after graduation, value degree recipients from Vanderbilt University generally make around $77,997. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Vanderbilt University admits about 6% of applicants.
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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 · 4 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.
