2027 Best Value Fire Protection Master’s Degree Schools
[Fire Protection](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/fire-protection/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for fire protection students.
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2027 Best Value Fire Protection Schools in the United States
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in fire protection, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Fire Protection Schools
University Of Florida tops our 2027 list of the best value fire protection schools in the United States. University Of Florida is a very large public school located in the city of Gainesville. In-state tuition and fees average $6,381, compared with $28,659 for out-of-state students. Fire Protection graduates carry a median of $12,296 in student loans. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $86,740. Set against $12,296 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 24% of applicants are accepted.
Purdue University Global is a great value for students pursuing a degree in fire protection, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue University Global is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,101, compared with $14,412 for out-of-state students. Fire Protection graduates carry a median of $25,440 in student loans. Fire Protection graduates of Purdue University Global earn a median of $57,691 early in their careers. Set against $25,440 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
A rank of #3 makes Southern Illinois University Carbondale one of the best values for fire protection. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a large public school located in the town of Carbondale. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,334. Fire Protection graduates carry a median of $17,725 in student loans. Fire Protection graduates of Southern Illinois University Carbondale earn a median of $104,017 early in their careers. Set against $17,725 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 87%.
Columbia Southern University came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best value fire protection schools. Columbia Southern University is a very large private for-profit school located in the town of Orange Beach. Students from in state pay about $6,224 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for fire protection graduates is $15,874. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $79,022. Set against $15,874 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in fire protection will find it at Oklahoma State University Main Campus, which ranked #5. Located in the town of Stillwater, Oklahoma State University Main Campus is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $10,110, compared with $25,630 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for fire protection graduates is $26,500. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $75,503. That is a strong return on a $26,500 median debt. Roughly 75% of applicants are accepted.
Other Fire Protection Degree Levels
Looking for a different degree level? Compare best-value Fire Protection rankings across degree levels:
View All Fire Protection Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 5 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.
