2026 Best Value Medical Scientist Schools in the Far Western Region

[Medical Scientist](/majors/health-care-professions/medical-science/medical-scientist/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong medical scientist education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 10 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value medical scientist schools.
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2026 Best Value Medical Scientist Schools in the Far Western Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the medical scientist degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Medical Scientist Schools
Leading the list is University Of California San Diego, our #1 best value for medical scientist in the Far Western Region. University Of California San Diego is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,788, compared with $47,676 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for medical scientist graduates is $17,101. Medical Scientist graduates of University Of California San Diego earn a median of $121,264 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $17,101 median debt. University Of California San Diego admits about 27% of applicants.
University Of California Irvine is a great value for students pursuing a degree in medical scientist, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Irvine, University Of California Irvine is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $14,752, with out-of-state students paying around $46,640. Students borrow a median of $16,539 to complete the medical scientist program here. Early-career medical scientist graduates make about $50,958. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of California Irvine admits about 29% 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 · 10 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.