2027 Best Value Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling Schools in the The Plains States Region

[Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling](/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/marriage-and-family-therapy-counseling/) 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 6 schools to find the best return on investment for marriage and family therapy/counseling students.
What’s on this page:
2027 Best Value Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling Schools in the The Plains States Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the marriage and family therapy/counseling degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling Schools
Our analysis ranked Saint Marys University Of Minnesota the best value for a degree in marriage and family therapy/counseling in the The Plains States Region. Located in the town of Winona, Saint Marys University Of Minnesota is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,080. Typical student debt for marriage and family therapy/counseling graduates is $27,081. Early-career marriage and family therapy/counseling graduates make about $50,065. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 93%.
A rank of #2 makes Saint Cloud State University one of the best values for marriage and family therapy/counseling. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, Saint Cloud State University is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,245. Students borrow a median of $31,171 to complete the marriage and family therapy/counseling program here. Marriage And Family Therapy/counseling graduates of Saint Cloud State University earn a median of $51,625 early in their careers. Set against $31,171 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Saint Cloud State University admits about 95% of applicants.
Capella University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in marriage and family therapy/counseling, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a very large private for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $14,400 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $35,998 to complete the marriage and family therapy/counseling program here. Early-career marriage and family therapy/counseling graduates make about $47,787. Set against $35,998 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
A rank of #4 makes Mount Mercy University one of the best values for marriage and family therapy/counseling. Mount Mercy University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cedar Rapids. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $40,878. Students borrow a median of $27,709 to complete the marriage and family therapy/counseling program here. Marriage And Family Therapy/counseling graduates of Mount Mercy University earn a median of $45,912 early in their careers. Set against $27,709 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 82%.
Friends University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in marriage and family therapy/counseling, landing the #5 spot this year. Set in the city of Wichita, Friends University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $34,192. Students borrow a median of $29,721 to complete the marriage and family therapy/counseling program here. Soon after graduation, marriage and family therapy/counseling degree recipients from Friends University generally make around $43,226. Set against $29,721 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 55% of applicants are accepted.
Walden University landed the #6 spot for marriage and family therapy/counseling value this year. Set in the city of Minneapolis, Walden University is a very large private for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $11,067 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $49,361 to complete the marriage and family therapy/counseling program here. Early-career marriage and family therapy/counseling graduates make about $48,538. That is a strong return on a $49,361 median debt.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 6 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.