by our College Data Analytics Team
[Fire Protection](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/fire-protection/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for fire protection students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in fire protection, balancing cost against outcomes.
Leading the list is Columbia Southern University, our #1 best value for fire protection in Alabama. 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.
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the one ranked school only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.