by our College Data Analytics Team
[Value](/majors/health-care-professions/bioethics-medical-ethics/nursing-education/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong value education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 10 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value value schools.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in value, balancing cost against outcomes.
Capella University earned the #1 spot for value among value schools in Minnesota. Set in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a very large private for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,400. Typical student debt for value graduates is $35,998. Value graduates of Capella University earn a median of $72,053 early in their careers. Set against $35,998 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
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 · 10 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.