[Instructional Media Design](/majors/education/instructional-media-design/) 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.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 9 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for instructional media design students.
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If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the instructional media design degrees they offer, see the list below.
For return on investment in instructional media design, no school beat Essex County College this year. Set in the city of Newark, Essex County College is a moderately-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $5,415, while out-of-state students pay about $9,523. Students borrow a median of $12,472 to complete the instructional media design program here. Early-career instructional media design graduates make about $37,915. Set against $12,472 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
A rank of #2 makes New Jersey City University one of the best values for instructional media design. Located in the city of Jersey City, New Jersey City University is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $14,460 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $22,107 to complete the instructional media design program here. Early-career instructional media design graduates make about $70,914. Set against $22,107 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 98% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #3 makes Rowan University one of the best values for instructional media design. Located in the suburb of Glassboro, Rowan University is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $16,574 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $26,932. Students borrow a median of $24,488 to complete the instructional media design program here. Instructional Media Design graduates of Rowan University earn a median of $52,031 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $24,488 median debt. Roughly 78% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 9 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
