[Medical Informatics](/majors/health-care-professions/medical-illustration-informatics/medical-informatics/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for medical informatics students.
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Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in medical informatics, balancing cost against outcomes.
Leading the list is University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, our #1 best value for medical informatics in North Carolina. University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,994, compared with $41,203 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $15,117 to complete the medical informatics program here. Medical Informatics graduates of University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill earn a median of $61,361 early in their careers. Set against $15,117 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill admits about 15% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in medical informatics will find it at University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Charlotte, University Of North Carolina At Charlotte is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $7,239, while out-of-state students pay about $22,492. Typical student debt for medical informatics graduates is $24,673. Early-career medical informatics graduates make about $71,774. Set against $24,673 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of North Carolina At Charlotte admits about 80% of applicants.
A rank of #3 makes East Carolina University one of the best values for medical informatics. Located in the city of Greenville, East Carolina University is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $7,361, with out-of-state students paying around $23,638. Students borrow a median of $24,747 to complete the medical informatics program here. Early-career medical informatics graduates make about $51,931. That is a strong return on a $24,747 median debt. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
Wake Forest University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in medical informatics, landing the #4 spot this year. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $67,642 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $21,577 to complete the medical informatics program here. Medical Informatics graduates of Wake Forest University earn a median of $67,369 early in their careers. Set against $21,577 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 22%.
Students looking for strong value in medical informatics will find it at Duke University, which ranked #5. Set in the city of Durham, Duke University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $68,758. Students borrow a median of $13,296 to complete the medical informatics program here. Soon after graduation, medical informatics degree recipients from Duke University generally make around $124,486. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 6% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 5 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.
