by our College Data Analytics Team
[Nursing Science](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/nursing-science/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for nursing science students.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the nursing science degrees they offer, see the list below.
University Of Toledo tops our 2026 list of the best value nursing science schools in Ohio. Set in the city of Toledo, University Of Toledo is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $12,157 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $21,517. Typical student debt for nursing science graduates is $22,400. Early-career nursing science graduates make about $76,736. That is a strong return on a $22,400 median debt. Roughly 92% of applicants are accepted.
Walsh University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in nursing science, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the suburb of North Canton, Walsh University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $33,030. Nursing Science graduates carry a median of $28,000 in student loans. Early-career nursing science graduates make about $53,629. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 71% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Case Western Reserve University earned it the #3 place for nursing science. Set in the city of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $66,608 in tuition and fees. Nursing Science graduates carry a median of $26,580 in student loans. Early-career nursing science graduates make about $112,484. That is a strong return on a $26,580 median debt. Case Western Reserve University admits about 36% of applicants.
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.