by our College Data Analytics Team
[Value](/majors/mathematics-and-statistics/applied-statistics/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong value education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for value students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in value, balancing cost against outcomes.
Our analysis ranked Baylor University the best value for a degree in value in the Southwest Region. Located in the city of Waco, Baylor University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $58,100 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for value graduates is $23,928. Early-career value graduates make about $49,888. Set against $23,928 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 51% of applicants are accepted.
This ranking is produced 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.