2026 Best Value Historic Preservation & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools
[Historic Preservation & Conservation](/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/historic-preservation/historic-preservation-and-conservation/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 51 schools to find the best return on investment for historic preservation & conservation students.
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2026 Best Value Historic Preservation & Conservation Schools in the United States
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in historic preservation & conservation, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Historic Preservation & Conservation Schools
Our analysis ranked University Of Georgia the best value for a degree in historic preservation & conservation in the United States. Located in the city of Athens, University Of Georgia is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,450, with out-of-state students paying around $31,688. Typical student debt for historic preservation & conservation graduates is $21,792. Early-career historic preservation & conservation graduates make about $49,925. Set against $21,792 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Georgia admits about 38% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Delaware one of the best values for historic preservation & conservation. Located in the suburb of Newark, University Of Delaware is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $16,810, compared with $41,400 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $24,861 to complete the historic preservation & conservation program here. Historic Preservation & Conservation graduates of University Of Delaware earn a median of $54,155 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $24,861 median debt. The acceptance rate is 71%.
Columbia University In The City Of New York came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value historic preservation & conservation schools. Columbia University In The City Of New York is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $70,517. Typical student debt for historic preservation & conservation graduates is $23,258. Early-career historic preservation & conservation graduates make about $53,920. Set against $23,258 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Columbia University In The City Of New York admits about 4% of applicants.
A rank of #4 makes Clemson University one of the best values for historic preservation & conservation. Clemson University is a very large public school located in the suburb of Clemson. In-state tuition and fees average $15,554, compared with $40,866 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for historic preservation & conservation graduates is $23,783. Soon after graduation, historic preservation & conservation degree recipients from Clemson University generally make around $53,834. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Clemson University admits about 38% of applicants.
Other Historic Preservation & Conservation Degree Levels
Looking for a different degree level? Compare best-value Historic Preservation & Conservation rankings across degree levels:
View All Historic Preservation & Conservation Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 51 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 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.
