by our College Data Analytics Team
[Nurse Anesthetist](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/nurse-anesthetist/) 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 3 schools to find the best return on investment for nurse anesthetist students.
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If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the nurse anesthetist degrees they offer, see the list below.
For return on investment in nurse anesthetist, no school beat Millikin University this year. Located in the city of Decatur, Millikin University is a small private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $26,792. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the nurse anesthetist program here. Early-career nurse anesthetist graduates make about $165,637. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Roughly 67% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Bradley University earned it the #2 place for nurse anesthetist. Bradley University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $42,160. Nurse Anesthetist graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Nurse Anesthetist graduates of Bradley University earn a median of $54,513 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Bradley University admits about 77% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in nurse anesthetist will find it at Depaul University, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $45,405. Nurse Anesthetist graduates carry a median of $25,340 in student loans. Early-career nurse anesthetist graduates make about $55,390. Set against $25,340 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 76%.
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, 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.
More about our data sources and methodologies.