Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Education Schools in Alabama

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Education Schools in Alabama

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

15 Colleges
$13,682 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$43,984 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Education School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, education was ranked 4th in Alabama. In fact, 5,059 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Education Schools in Alabama ranking. This report analyzed 15 schools in Alabama 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Education Schools in Alabama

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for education majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Education Schools

#1

University of West Alabama

Livingston, AL
$10,990 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of West Alabama to be the best value school for education students who want to pursue a degree in Alabama. University of West Alabama is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote area of Livingston.

University of West Alabama undergraduate students pay an average of $10,990 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, University of West Alabama also did well on our Best Education Schools in Alabama list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Education at University of West Alabama Report

$10,620 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of North Alabama is a great value for education students. UNA is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Florence.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNA are $10,620 per year. After completing their degree, education graduates from UNA carry an average student debtload of $24,180. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $304, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

$9,060 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Athens State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Alabama list. Located in the town of Athens, Athens State University is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Athens State University are $9,060 per year. After completing their degree, education graduates from Athens State University carry an average student debtload of $26,661.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Athens State University also is in the top 15% of our Best Education Schools in Alabama ranking.

Read full report on Education at Athens State University

$8,568 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Alabama at Birmingham is a great value for education students. Located in the midsize city of Birmingham, UAB is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UAB are $8,568 a year. While working on their degree, education majors at UAB accumulate an average of around $27,931 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $261, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Education at University of Alabama at Birmingham Report

#5

Auburn University

Auburn, AL
$11,826 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Auburn University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best education schools in Alabama. Located in the small city of Auburn, Auburn is a public school with a very large student population.

Auburn undergraduate students pay an average of $11,826 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Auburn take out is $22,667. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $485, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Auburn is ranked #2 for overall quality for education in Alabama.

Read More…

#6

Troy University

Troy, AL
$9,312 Average Tuition & Fees

Troy University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the town of Troy, TROY is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at TROY are $9,312 per year. While working on their degree, education majors at TROY accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Education at Troy University

#7

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL
$11,620 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Alabama came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Alabama ranking. UA is a very large public school located in the small city of Tuscaloosa.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UA are $11,620 per year. Education majors at UA take out an average of $26,333 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $671, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UA is ranked #5 for overall quality for education in Alabama.

Read full report on Education at The University of Alabama

$8,860 Average Tuition & Fees

Auburn University at Montgomery landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. Located in the midsize city of Montgomery, AUM is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at AUM are $8,860 per year. On average, education graduates from AUM take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Education at Auburn University at Montgomery Report

$8,756 Average Tuition & Fees

University of South Alabama landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Mobile, USA is a public school with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at USA are $8,756 per year. After completing their degree, education graduates from USA carry an average student debtload of $26,695. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $273, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#10

Jacksonville State University

Jacksonville, AL
$11,120 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Jacksonville State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Located in the small suburb of Jacksonville, Jacksonville State University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Jacksonville State University are $11,120 a year. While working on their degree, education majors at Jacksonville State University accumulate an average of around $24,149 in student debt.

Read full report on Education at Jacksonville State University

Best Value Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Education Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 7,730
West Virginia 1,515
Florida 10,069
Virginia 9,522
Arkansas 4,954
Mississippi 4,219
South Carolina 3,980
Louisiana 2,977
Kentucky 5,329
Georgia 9,722
Tennessee 5,194

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

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 15 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.