2026 Best Value Educational Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools
[Educational Psychology](/majors/psychology/clinical-counseling-applied-psychology/educational-psychology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 105 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for educational psychology students.
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2026 Best Value Educational Psychology Schools in the United States
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in educational psychology, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Educational Psychology Schools
For return on investment in educational psychology, no school beat University Of Illinois At Chicago this year. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $15,949, while out-of-state students pay about $32,009. Educational Psychology graduates carry a median of $20,115 in student loans. Educational Psychology graduates of University Of Illinois At Chicago earn a median of $61,829 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Illinois At Chicago admits about 77% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes Eastern Washington University one of the best values for educational psychology. Set in the town of Cheney, Eastern Washington University is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $8,586 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $26,583. Students borrow a median of $21,754 to complete the educational psychology program here. Soon after graduation, educational psychology degree recipients from Eastern Washington University generally make around $70,143. Set against $21,754 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 91%.
Students looking for strong value in educational psychology will find it at Arizona State University, which ranked #3. Arizona State University is a very large public school located in the city of Tempe. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,223, while out-of-state students pay about $33,139. Educational Psychology graduates carry a median of $21,842 in student loans. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $69,344. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 90% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Purdue University Global earned it the #4 place for educational psychology. 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, with out-of-state students paying around $14,412. Educational Psychology graduates carry a median of $42,443 in student loans. Educational Psychology graduates of Purdue University Global earn a median of $35,086 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $42,443 median debt.
University Of North Texas came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best value educational psychology schools. Set in the city of Denton, University Of North Texas is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,309, while out-of-state students pay about $21,149. Students borrow a median of $19,583 to complete the educational psychology program here. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $32,553. That is a strong return on a $19,583 median debt. The acceptance rate is 72%.
Indiana University Bloomington landed the #6 spot for educational psychology value this year. Set in the city of Bloomington, Indiana University Bloomington is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $12,144 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $41,891. Students borrow a median of $20,542 to complete the educational psychology program here. Soon after graduation, educational psychology degree recipients from Indiana University Bloomington generally make around $69,444. That is a strong return on a $20,542 median debt. Roughly 78% of applicants are accepted.
Ball State University earned the #7 position for value in educational psychology this year. Ball State University is a very large public school located in the city of Muncie. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,082, with out-of-state students paying around $29,630. Students borrow a median of $27,075 to complete the educational psychology program here. Educational Psychology graduates of Ball State University earn a median of $64,930 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Ball State University admits about 86% of applicants.
Mississippi State University ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best value educational psychology schools. Set in the town of Mississippi State, Mississippi State University is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $10,202 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $27,637. Typical student debt for educational psychology graduates is $26,000. Educational Psychology graduates of Mississippi State University earn a median of $27,841 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 78%.
Capella University came in at #9 for value in educational psychology this year. Capella University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis. Students from in state pay about $14,400 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $35,998 to complete the educational psychology program here. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $72,053. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus came in at #10 for value in educational psychology this year. Set in the city of Pittsburgh, University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $21,926, while out-of-state students pay about $41,430. Students borrow a median of $25,000 to complete the educational psychology program here. Soon after graduation, educational psychology degree recipients from University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus generally make around $43,495. That is a strong return on a $25,000 median debt. Roughly 58% of applicants are accepted.
Tufts University earned the #11 position for value in educational psychology this year. Set in the suburb of Medford, Tufts University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $70,704. Typical student debt for educational psychology graduates is $17,074. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $35,806. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 12%.
Other Educational Psychology Degree Levels
Looking for a different degree level? Compare best-value Educational Psychology rankings across degree levels:
View All Educational Psychology Rankings >
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 · 105 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.
