2027 Best Value Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer](/majors/transportation-materials-handling/marine-transportation/marine-science-merchant-marine-officer/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for marine science/merchant marine officer students.
What’s on this page:
2027 Best Value Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in marine science/merchant marine officer, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer Schools
Leading the list is Northwestern Michigan College, our #1 best value for marine science/merchant marine officer in the Great Lakes Region. Located in the city of Traverse City, Northwestern Michigan College is a mid-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $5,860, with out-of-state students paying around $13,476. Typical student debt for marine science/merchant marine officer graduates is $26,542. Marine Science/merchant Marine Officer graduates of Northwestern Michigan College earn a median of $87,281 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $26,542 median debt.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the one ranked school 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.
