ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Value Secondary School Administration/Principalship Schools in the Southeast Region

5 Colleges in the United States
$24,917 Avg Student Debt
$52,984 Avg Median Earnings (10yr)
2026 Best Value Secondary School Administration/Principalship Badge [Secondary School Administration/Principalship](/majors/education/educational-administration/secondary-school-administration-principalship/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools to find the best return on investment for secondary school administration/principalship students.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/secondary-school-administration-principalship/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/secondary-school-administration-principalship/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/secondary-school-administration-principalship/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/secondary-school-administration-principalship/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/secondary-school-administration-principalship/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/secondary-school-administration-principalship/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/educational-administration/secondary-school-administration-principalship/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 8
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 13.04), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Secondary Education (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.9
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Secondary Education (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.9)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Secondary Education (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.9
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Secondary Education (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.9)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Leadership (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Leadership (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Educational Administration (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Educational Administration (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Educational Leadership (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MS in Higher Education Administration" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "MS in Higher Education Administration" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 8
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 7 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 7
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 0 offers with relevance >= 1.0
DEBUG: Backfilling with 2 offers with relevance >= 0.9

2026 Best Value Secondary School Administration/Principalship Schools in the Southeast Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in secondary school administration/principalship, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Secondary School Administration/Principalship Schools

1

University Of North Carolina At Pembroke tops our 2026 list of the best value secondary school administration/principalship schools in the Southeast Region. Set in the town of Pembroke, University Of North Carolina At Pembroke is a moderately-sized public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $3,648, while out-of-state students pay about $7,648. Secondary School Administration/principalship graduates carry a median of $27,089 in student loans. Soon after graduation, secondary school administration/principalship degree recipients from University Of North Carolina At Pembroke generally make around $64,928. That is a strong return on a $27,089 median debt. Roughly 93% of applicants are accepted.

2
Marshall University crest
Marshall University
Huntington, WV

Marshall University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value secondary school administration/principalship schools. Set in the city of Huntington, Marshall University is a large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $9,162, compared with $20,342 for out-of-state students. Secondary School Administration/principalship graduates carry a median of $25,250 in student loans. Soon after graduation, secondary school administration/principalship degree recipients from Marshall University generally make around $55,302. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 96% of applicants are accepted.

3

Students looking for strong value in secondary school administration/principalship will find it at University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $8,994 in tuition and fees, compared with $41,203 for out-of-state students. Secondary School Administration/principalship graduates carry a median of $15,117 in student loans. Early-career secondary school administration/principalship graduates make about $67,864. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 15% of applicants are accepted.

4

Students looking for strong value in secondary school administration/principalship will find it at North Carolina A And T State University, which ranked #4. North Carolina A And T State University is a large public school located in the city of Greensboro. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,813, while out-of-state students pay about $20,673. Typical student debt for secondary school administration/principalship graduates is $29,078. Soon after graduation, secondary school administration/principalship degree recipients from North Carolina A And T State University generally make around $54,600. That is a strong return on a $29,078 median debt. The acceptance rate is 50%.

5

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at North Carolina Central University earned it the #5 place for secondary school administration/principalship. Set in the city of Durham, North Carolina Central University is a moderately-sized public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $6,699, compared with $19,735 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $31,173 to complete the secondary school administration/principalship program here. Secondary School Administration/principalship graduates of North Carolina Central University earn a median of $65,158 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 87%.

ADBLOCK #101
6

Appalachian State University came in at #6 for value in secondary school administration/principalship this year. Set in the town of Boone, Appalachian State University is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $7,579, with out-of-state students paying around $25,212. Typical student debt for secondary school administration/principalship graduates is $21,992. Soon after graduation, secondary school administration/principalship degree recipients from Appalachian State University generally make around $69,507. Set against $21,992 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 90% of applicants are accepted.

7

Charleston Southern University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best value secondary school administration/principalship schools. Set in the city of Charleston, Charleston Southern University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $32,520 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for secondary school administration/principalship graduates is $27,569. Secondary School Administration/principalship graduates of Charleston Southern University earn a median of $46,288 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $27,569 median debt. Roughly 96% of applicants are accepted.

8

The University Of Alabama landed the #8 spot for secondary school administration/principalship value this year. Set in the city of Tuscaloosa, The University Of Alabama is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $12,180, compared with $34,172 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $24,496 to complete the secondary school administration/principalship program here. Soon after graduation, secondary school administration/principalship degree recipients from The University Of Alabama generally make around $50,740. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.

9
Campbell University crest
Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC

Campbell University placed #9 among the best values for secondary school administration/principalship. Located in the town of Buies Creek, Campbell University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $41,600. Students borrow a median of $23,641 to complete the secondary school administration/principalship program here. Early-career secondary school administration/principalship graduates make about $54,629. Set against $23,641 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.

10
Furman University crest
Furman University
Greenville, SC

Furman University ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best value secondary school administration/principalship schools. Set in the suburb of Greenville, Furman University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $59,770. Secondary School Administration/principalship graduates carry a median of $23,764 in student loans. Soon after graduation, secondary school administration/principalship degree recipients from Furman University generally make around $36,520. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 43%.

ADBLOCK #173
View All Secondary School Administration/Principalship Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

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 · 10 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 ranked schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options