2026 Best Value Educational Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[Educational Psychology](/majors/psychology/clinical-counseling-applied-psychology/educational-psychology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong educational psychology education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 19 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value educational psychology schools.
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2026 Best Value Educational Psychology Schools in the Great Lakes Region
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. Students from in state pay about $15,949 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $32,009. Students borrow a median of $20,115 to complete the educational psychology program here. 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.
Youngstown State University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value educational psychology schools. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $9,926 in tuition and fees, compared with $10,286 for out-of-state students. Educational Psychology graduates carry a median of $26,373 in student loans. Educational Psychology graduates of Youngstown State University earn a median of $50,731 early in their careers. Set against $26,373 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Youngstown State University admits about 84% of applicants.
A rank of #3 makes Purdue University Global one of the best values for educational psychology. Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue University Global is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $10,101 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $14,412. Educational Psychology graduates carry a median of $42,443 in student loans. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $39,572. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Wayne State University earned it the #4 place for educational psychology. Located in the city of Detroit, Wayne State University is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,159, while out-of-state students pay about $34,650. Typical student debt for educational psychology graduates is $26,689. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $58,918. Set against $26,689 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 81% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #5 makes Indiana University Bloomington one of the best values for educational psychology. Located in the city of Bloomington, Indiana University Bloomington is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,144, compared with $41,891 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for educational psychology graduates is $20,542. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $69,444. That is a strong return on a $20,542 median debt. Indiana University Bloomington admits about 78% of applicants.
Ball State University placed #6 among the best values for educational psychology. Ball State University is a very large public school located in the city of Muncie. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,082, with out-of-state students paying around $29,630. Educational Psychology graduates carry a median of $27,075 in student loans. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $64,930. That is a strong return on a $27,075 median debt. Ball State University admits about 86% of applicants.
National Louis University earned the #7 position for value in educational psychology this year. National Louis University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Students from in state pay about $13,245 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $29,242 to complete the educational psychology program here. Educational Psychology graduates of National Louis University earn a median of $53,733 early in their careers. Set against $29,242 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 95%.
University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee earned the #8 position for value in educational psychology this year. University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee is a very large public school located in the city of Milwaukee. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,398, compared with $22,398 for out-of-state students. Educational Psychology graduates carry a median of $26,657 in student loans. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $54,074. That is a strong return on a $26,657 median debt. University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee admits about 91% of applicants.
University Of Wisconsin Madison came in at #9 for value in educational psychology this year. Set in the city of Madison, University Of Wisconsin Madison is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,603, while out-of-state students pay about $42,103. Typical student debt for educational psychology graduates is $21,813. Educational Psychology graduates of University Of Wisconsin Madison earn a median of $55,617 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Wisconsin Madison admits about 45% of applicants.
Eastern Michigan University came in at #10 for value in educational psychology this year. Located in the suburb of Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan University is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $16,990. Students borrow a median of $28,781 to complete the educational psychology program here. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $48,912. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 80%.
University Of Toledo placed #11 among the best values for educational psychology. Located in the city of Toledo, University Of Toledo is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $12,157 in tuition and fees, compared with $21,517 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for educational psychology graduates is $24,923. Soon after graduation, educational psychology degree recipients from University Of Toledo generally make around $52,675. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Toledo admits about 92% of applicants.
Kent State University At Kent earned the #12 position for value in educational psychology this year. Kent State University At Kent is a very large public school located in the suburb of Kent. Students from in state pay about $12,220 in tuition and fees, compared with $21,575 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $25,174 to complete the educational psychology program here. Educational Psychology graduates of Kent State University At Kent earn a median of $58,818 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,174 median debt. Roughly 86% of applicants are accepted.
Michigan State University landed the #13 spot for educational psychology value this year. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State University is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $18,079 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $44,850. Typical student debt for educational psychology graduates is $25,213. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $71,750. Set against $25,213 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Michigan State University admits about 85% of applicants.
Miami University Oxford came in at #14 for value in educational psychology this year. Set in the town of Oxford, Miami University Oxford is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $17,519 in tuition and fees, compared with $38,965 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $24,177 to complete the educational psychology program here. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $59,464. Set against $24,177 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Miami University Oxford admits about 75% of applicants.
Loyola University Chicago earned the #15 position for value in educational psychology this year. Set in the city of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago is a large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $53,710. Educational Psychology graduates carry a median of $23,521 in student loans. Early-career educational psychology graduates make about $67,469. That is a strong return on a $23,521 median debt. Roughly 82% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 19 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 11 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.
