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2026 Best Value Historic Preservation & Conservation Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

[Historic Preservation & Conservation](/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/historic-preservation/historic-preservation-and-conservation/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 10 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for historic preservation & conservation students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Historic Preservation & Conservation Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

2026 Best Value Historic Preservation & Conservation Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in historic preservation & conservation, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Historic Preservation & Conservation Schools

1

University Of Delaware
Newark, DE

$16,810 In-State Tuition & Fees

$24,861 Avg Student Debt

$72,950 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in historic preservation & conservation, no school beat University Of Delaware this year. University Of Delaware is a very large public school located in the suburb of Newark. Students from in state pay about $16,810 in tuition and fees, compared with $41,400 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $24,861 to complete the historic preservation & conservation program here. Soon after graduation, historic preservation & conservation degree recipients from University Of Delaware generally make around $54,155. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 71%.

2

Columbia University In The City Of New York
New York, NY

$70,517 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,258 Avg Student Debt

$102,491 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in historic preservation & conservation will find it at Columbia University In The City Of New York, which ranked #2. 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. The acceptance rate is 4%.

View All Historic Preservation & Conservation Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled 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 · 10 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.