by our College Data Analytics Team
[Applied Mathematics](/majors/mathematics-and-statistics/applied-mathematics/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for applied mathematics students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in applied mathematics, balancing cost against outcomes.
Our analysis ranked Vanderbilt University the best value for a degree in applied mathematics in Tennessee. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $67,498. Students borrow a median of $13,975 to complete the applied mathematics program here. Early-career applied mathematics graduates make about $134,475. That is a strong return on a $13,975 median debt. The acceptance rate is 6%.
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 · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.