2026 Best Value Literature Doctoral Degree Schools
Looking for the best-value Literature doctoral degree programs in the United States? This list ranks 120 colleges by value — the balance of cost and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. The rankings below weigh factors such as tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the strongest return on investment.
To help you make your decision, Course Advisor evaluated schools to produce this 2026 value ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Best-Value Literature Doctoral Degree Schools in the United States
Here are the top-ranked schools for value:
For return on investment, no school beat New York University this year in the United States. Set in New York, NY, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $62,796. New York University Literature students take on a median of $21,897 in debt. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $82,509. That is a strong return on a $21,897 median debt. New York University admits about 9% of applicants. See the full New York University profile
You'll get strong value at Oral Roberts University, which ranked #2 this year. Get the full Oral Roberts University report
A rank of #3 makes Clarkson University one of the best values in the United States. More on Clarkson University
You'll get strong value at Indiana University Bloomington, which ranked #4 this year. Get the full Indiana University Bloomington report
Out of the 120 schools in the United States in this year's value ranking, Pacific University landed the #5 spot. See the full Pacific University profile
Pace University New York placed #6 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. More on Pace University New York
Gateway Community College Phoenix placed #7 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. Get the full Gateway Community College Phoenix report
George Fox University came in at #8 in this year's value ranking. More on George Fox University
Pennsylvania Western University ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. See the full Pennsylvania Western University profile
Cornell College
Cornell College landed the #10 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Cornell College
Gannon University ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. Get the full Gannon University report
Lindenwood University landed the #12 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Lindenwood University
Walla Walla University offered strong value this year, earning the #13 position. Read more about Walla Walla University
Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School Of Theology ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. More on Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School Of Theology
Mississippi College ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. Get the full Mississippi College report
Allegheny College placed #16 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. See the full Allegheny College profile
Grove City College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. See the full Grove City College profile
Eastern Michigan University placed #18 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. See the full Eastern Michigan University profile
Miami University Oxford came in at #19 in this year's value ranking. See the full Miami University Oxford profile
University Of Washington Seattle Campus landed the #20 spot for value in the United States this year. More on University Of Washington Seattle Campus
Rowan University
Rowan University landed the #21 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Rowan University report
Mesa Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #22 position. Read the full report on Mesa Community College
George Mason University landed the #23 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full George Mason University profile
Cuny Graduate School And University Center came in at #24 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Cuny Graduate School And University Center
Bennington College ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. Read the full report on Bennington College
Rest of the Top 50 Best-Value Literature Doctoral Degree Schools in the United States
Not far behind, these schools also offered excellent value:
Calvin College
Calvin College placed #26 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. Read more about Calvin College
East Carolina University placed #27 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. More on East Carolina University
Dordt College
Dordt College ranked #28 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. Get the full Dordt College report
Liberty University offered strong value this year, earning the #29 position. Read more about Liberty University
Hofstra University offered strong value this year, earning the #30 position. Read the full report on Hofstra University
The New School
The New School ranked #31 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. See the full The New School profile
Glendale Community College Glendale Az ranked #32 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. Read the full report on Glendale Community College Glendale Az
Excelsior College ranked #33 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. Get the full Excelsior College report
Northern Arizona University landed the #34 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Northern Arizona University
University Of California Los Angeles landed the #35 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on University Of California Los Angeles
Yeshiva University landed the #36 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Yeshiva University
Center For Advanced Studies On Puerto Rico And The Caribbean placed #37 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. See the full Center For Advanced Studies On Puerto Rico And The Caribbean profile
Stevens Institute Of Technology ranked #38 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. Get the full Stevens Institute Of Technology report
Indiana University Southeast landed the #39 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Indiana University Southeast
Youngstown State University came in at #40 in this year's value ranking. See the full Youngstown State University profile
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis came in at #41 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
La Salle University placed #42 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. Get the full La Salle University report
Rio Salado College placed #43 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. Get the full Rio Salado College report
Linfield College
Linfield College came in at #44 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Linfield College
Sewanee The University Of The South ranked #45 on our 2026 list of the best-value Literature schools. Read more about Sewanee The University Of The South
Duke University
Duke University came in at #46 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Duke University
Suny At Purchase College placed #47 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. Read the full report on Suny At Purchase College
Grand Canyon University landed the #48 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Grand Canyon University profile
Bard College At Simons Rock placed #49 among the best-value Literature schools in the United States. Get the full Bard College At Simons Rock report
Dominican University landed the #50 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Dominican University profile
Related Literature Value Rankings
Explore other degree levels:
- Best Value Literature Schools (All Levels)
- Best Value Literature Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Literature Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Literature Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Literature Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Literature Master’s Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
These rankings are produced by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Rankings consider the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment — drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 120 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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