2027 Best Value Value Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[Value](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/forensic-nursing/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for value students.
What’s on this page:
2027 Best Value Value Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in value, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Value Schools
For return on investment in value, no school beat Oakland University this year. Located in the suburb of Rochester Hills, Oakland University is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $17,167, while out-of-state students pay about $24,735. Value graduates carry a median of $29,430 in student loans. Soon after graduation, value degree recipients from Oakland University generally make around $91,727. That is a strong return on a $29,430 median debt. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.
Kent State University At Kent is a great value for students pursuing a degree in value, landing the #2 spot this year. Kent State University At Kent is a very large public school located in the suburb of Kent. In-state tuition and fees average $12,220, with out-of-state students paying around $21,575. Students borrow a median of $28,625 to complete the value program here. Early-career value graduates make about $44,776. That is a strong return on a $28,625 median debt. The acceptance rate is 86%.
A rank of #3 makes Xavier University one of the best values for value. Xavier University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cincinnati. In-state tuition and fees average $49,425. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the value program here. Early-career value graduates make about $78,516. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 86%.
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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 · 3 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.
