2026 Best Value Value Schools in the The Plains States Region
[Value](/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/environmental-geosciences/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 2 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for value students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Value Schools in the The Plains States Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the value degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Value Schools
University Of Minnesota Twin Cities tops our 2026 list of the best value value schools in the The Plains States Region. Set in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $17,214, while out-of-state students pay about $38,362. Students borrow a median of $21,577 to complete the value program here. Early-career value graduates make about $56,395. That is a strong return on a $21,577 median debt. University Of Minnesota Twin Cities admits about 80% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 2 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.
