2026 Best Value General Schools in the United States
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value General Schools
For return on investment in general, no school beat University Of Pennsylvania this year. Set in the city of Philadelphia, University Of Pennsylvania is a very large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $68,686. General graduates carry a median of $16,155 in student loans. General graduates of University Of Pennsylvania earn a median of $99,682 early in their careers. Set against $16,155 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Pennsylvania admits about 5% of applicants.
Other General Degree Levels
Explore the best-value general schools at other degree levels:
Notes and References
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.
- 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.
[General](/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/anthrozoology/general/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong general education at a price that pays off.
