2023 Best Value Education Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Education School for You
With 327,871 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, education is the #4 most popular major in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Education Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 964 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for education students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Education
Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for education students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. La Salle is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
La Salle undergraduate students pay an average of $33,150 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, education graduates from La Salle carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cabrini University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Radnor, Cabrini University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cabrini University are $33,845 per year. While working on their degree, education majors at Cabrini University accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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Out of the 964 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Fe Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. SFCC is a small public school located in the small suburb of Santa Fe.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SFCC are $4,995 a year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at SFCC take out is $20,018.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Northeast Community College is a great value for education students. Located in the town of Norfolk, Northeast is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Northeast undergraduate students pay an average of $5,010 in tuition and fees each year. On average, education graduates from Northeast take out $11,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Out of the 964 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Jamestown landed the # 5 spot on the list. UJ is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Jamestown.
UJ undergraduate students pay an average of $23,498 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, education graduates from UJ carry an average student debtload of $27,250.
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With a ranking of #6, Spokane Falls Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Spokane Falls Community College are $5,135 per year. After completing their degree, education graduates from Spokane Falls Community College carry an average student debtload of $14,960.
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Itawamba Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. ICC is a small public school located in the town of Fulton.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ICC are $5,360 a year. Education majors at ICC take out an average of $7,192 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Brigham Young University - Idaho did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the town of Rexburg, BYU - I is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU - I are $4,416 per year. While working on their degree, education majors at BYU - I accumulate an average of around $14,980 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #9, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay, NWTC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NWTC are $6,849 per year. While working on their degree, education majors at NWTC accumulate an average of around $14,150 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, NWTC also did well on our Best Education Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #10, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU are $6,120 a year. After completing their degree, education graduates from BYU carry an average student debtload of $11,604.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, BYU also did well on our Best Education Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #11, Fox Valley Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Located in the suburb of Appleton, FVTC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FVTC are $6,861 per year.
FVTC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Education Schools list.
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With a ranking of #12, University of the Cumberlands did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Located in the town of Williamsburg, Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Cumberlands undergraduate students pay an average of $9,875 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Cumberlands take out is $19,327.
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Northcentral Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the city of Wausau, North Central Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
North Central Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,415 in tuition and fees each year. Education majors at North Central Technical College take out an average of $9,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #14, Concordia University, Irvine did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Located in the city of Irvine, Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Concordia University, Irvine are $38,740 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Concordia University, Irvine also is in the top 15% of our Best Education Schools ranking.
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Stanly Community College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. Located in the town of Albemarle, Stanly Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Stanly Technical College are $9,245 per year.
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Western Governors University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #16 on the list. WGU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City.
WGU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,452 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, education graduates from WGU carry an average student debtload of $24,749.
In addition to its great value ranking, WGU is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Education Schools list.
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Waukesha County Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #17 on the list. WCTC is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Pewaukee.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCTC are $6,603 per year. Education majors at WCTC take out an average of $21,626 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Northwestern College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. NWC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Orange City.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NWC are $33,590 a year. While working on their degree, education majors at NWC accumulate an average of around $25,995 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, NWC is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Education Schools list.
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Pima Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools list. Located in the city of Tucson, Pima County Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Pima County Community College District are $7,566 a year. After completing their degree, education graduates from Pima County Community College District carry an average student debtload of $13,907.
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Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools list. Located in the distant town of Fayette, CMU CGES is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CMU CGES are $6,720 per year. While working on their degree, education majors at CMU CGES accumulate an average of around $19,793 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, CMU CGES is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Education Schools list.
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Essex County College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools list. Located in the city of Newark, Essex is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Essex are $8,966 per year. On average, education graduates from Essex take out $7,935 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Chadron State College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools list. Chadron State College is a small public school located in the remote town of Chadron.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Chadron State College are $7,206 a year. Education majors at Chadron State College take out an average of $22,944 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #22, Minot State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Located in the remote town of Minot, MSU is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSU are $8,163 per year. After completing their degree, education graduates from MSU carry an average student debtload of $28,094.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, MSU also is in the top 20% of our Best Education Schools ranking.
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Wayne State College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools list. WSC is a small public school located in the distant town of Wayne.
WSC undergraduate students pay an average of $7,458 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, education graduates from WSC carry an average student debtload of $23,504.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, WSC also is in the top 20% of our Best Education Schools ranking.
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Morningside College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #25 on the list. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Sioux City.
Morningside undergraduate students pay an average of $35,270 in tuition and fees each year. Education majors at Morningside take out an average of $27,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Value Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 964 different United States education schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Education students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Education Schools award.
Education by Region
View the Best Value Education Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Education Rankings
Education Related Majors for Education
Education Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| Special Education | 36,792 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
| Student Counseling | 13,858 |
| Instructional Media Design | 8,695 |
| Teaching English or French | 5,791 |
| Other Education | 4,858 |
| Teaching Assistants | 2,751 |
| Educational Assessment | 2,552 |
| Multilingual Education | 1,910 |
| Education Philosophy | 737 |
| International Education | 293 |
Majors Similar to Education
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Horadrim.
More about our data sources and methodologies.