2026 Best Value Fire Protection Schools in New York
[Fire Protection](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/fire-protection/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 13 schools to find the best return on investment for fire protection students.
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2026 Best Value Fire Protection Schools in New York
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in fire protection, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Fire Protection Schools
Our analysis ranked Cuny John Jay College Of Criminal Justice the best value for a degree in fire protection in New York. Cuny John Jay College Of Criminal Justice is a large public school located in the city of New York. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,470, compared with $15,420 for out-of-state students. Fire Protection graduates carry a median of $16,500 in student loans. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $48,121. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 57%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Suffolk County Community College earned it the #2 place for fire protection. Set in the suburb of Selden, Suffolk County Community College is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,630, compared with $12,460 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for fire protection graduates is $11,246. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from Suffolk County Community College generally make around $35,667. Set against $11,246 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Monroe Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in fire protection, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the suburb of Rochester, Monroe Community College is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $6,006, while out-of-state students pay about $11,056. Students borrow a median of $12,921 to complete the fire protection program here. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $38,757. That is a strong return on a $12,921 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in fire protection will find it at Onondaga Community College, which ranked #4. Onondaga Community College is a large public school located in the suburb of Syracuse. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,102, while out-of-state students pay about $11,392. Students borrow a median of $12,623 to complete the fire protection program here. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $37,705. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
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 · 13 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.
