[Community Organization & Advocacy](/majors/social-services-public-administration/community-organization-and-advocacy/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong community organization & advocacy education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for community organization & advocacy students.
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If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the community organization & advocacy degrees they offer, see the list below.
For return on investment in community organization & advocacy, no school beat Northwestern University this year. Set in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $68,322. Community Organization & Advocacy graduates carry a median of $13,500 in student loans. Community Organization & Advocacy graduates of Northwestern University earn a median of $95,714 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 8% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Depaul University earned it the #2 place for community organization & advocacy. Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. In-state tuition and fees average $45,405. Typical student debt for community organization & advocacy graduates is $25,310. Community Organization & Advocacy graduates of Depaul University earn a median of $55,226 early in their careers. Set against $25,310 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
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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 · 4 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.
