2026 Best Value Archeology Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[Archeology](/majors/social-sciences/archeology/) 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 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 13 schools to find the best return on investment for archeology students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Archeology Schools in the Great Lakes Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the archeology degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Archeology Schools
University Of Wisconsin La Crosse tops our 2026 list of the best value archeology schools in the Great Lakes Region. Located in the city of La Crosse, University Of Wisconsin La Crosse is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,070, with out-of-state students paying around $19,517. Students borrow a median of $23,008 to complete the archeology program here. Archeology graduates of University Of Wisconsin La Crosse earn a median of $29,547 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Wisconsin La Crosse admits about 76% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Cincinnati Main Campus one of the best values for archeology. Set in the city of Cincinnati, University Of Cincinnati Main Campus is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $13,363, while out-of-state students pay about $28,697. Typical student debt for archeology graduates is $23,530. Archeology graduates of University Of Cincinnati Main Campus earn a median of $58,659 early in their careers. Set against $23,530 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 85%.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced 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 1 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.
