Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in medical informatics, balancing cost against outcomes.
Stanford University tops our 2026 list of the best value medical informatics schools in California. Set in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $65,910. Students borrow a median of $10,492 to complete the medical informatics program here. Soon after graduation, medical informatics degree recipients from Stanford University generally make around $100,827. That is a strong return on a $10,492 median debt. Roughly 4% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #2 makes Ashford University one of the best values for medical informatics. Set in the city of San Diego, Ashford University is a very large private for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,960. Medical Informatics graduates carry a median of $39,515 in student loans. Medical Informatics graduates of Ashford University earn a median of $48,441 early in their careers. Set against $39,515 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
National University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value medical informatics schools. National University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,284. Medical Informatics graduates carry a median of $30,426 in student loans. Early-career medical informatics graduates make about $80,848. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of San Diego earned it the #4 place for medical informatics. University Of San Diego is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego. Students from in state pay about $59,486 in tuition and fees. Medical Informatics graduates carry a median of $23,795 in student loans. Medical Informatics graduates of University Of San Diego earn a median of $95,098 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,795 median debt. University Of San Diego admits about 52% of applicants.
A rank of #5 makes University Of San Francisco one of the best values for medical informatics. University Of San Francisco is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $60,522. Typical student debt for medical informatics graduates is $23,935. Early-career medical informatics graduates make about $65,223. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 62%.
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 · 12 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 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.
[Medical Informatics](/majors/health-care-professions/medical-illustration-informatics/medical-informatics/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
