2026 Best Value General Schools in the United States
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the general degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value General Schools
For return on investment in general, no school beat Northern Arizona University this year. Located in the city of Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $12,619 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $20,044. General graduates carry a median of $21,645 in student loans. General graduates of Northern Arizona University earn a median of $47,056 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $21,645 median debt. Northern Arizona University admits about 90% of applicants.
Other General Degree Levels
Explore the best-value general schools at other degree levels:
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 · 5 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.
[General](/majors/physical-sciences/physics-and-astronomy/general/) 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.
