2026 Best Value Value Schools in the The Plains States Region
[Value](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/veterinary-biomedical-and-clinical-sciences/veterinary-preventive-medicine-epidemiology-and-public-health/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 1 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for value students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Value Schools in the The Plains States Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in value, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Value Schools
Leading the list is Iowa State University, our #1 best value for value in the The Plains States Region. Set in the city of Ames, Iowa State University is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,787, with out-of-state students paying around $28,881. Value graduates carry a median of $23,495 in student loans. Value graduates of Iowa State University earn a median of $53,900 early in their careers. Set against $23,495 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 89%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on 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 · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
