2026 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in Minnesota
[Early Childhood Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-development-levels-methods/early-childhood-education/) 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 28 schools to find the best return on investment for early childhood education students.
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2026 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in Minnesota
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in early childhood education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools
Our analysis ranked Ridgewater College the best value for a degree in early childhood education in Minnesota. Ridgewater College is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Willmar. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,121. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $15,556 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of Ridgewater College earn a median of $42,178 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Saint Paul College A Community And Technical College earned it the #2 place for early childhood education. Set in the city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College A Community And Technical College is a moderately-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,326. Students borrow a median of $17,650 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of Saint Paul College A Community And Technical College earn a median of $38,179 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Minneapolis Community And Technical College earned it the #3 place for early childhood education. Minneapolis Community And Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Minneapolis. In-state tuition and fees average $6,161. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $24,036. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Minneapolis Community And Technical College generally make around $43,164. That is a strong return on a $24,036 median debt.
Alexandria Technical And Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, landing the #4 spot this year. Located in the town of Alexandria, Alexandria Technical And Community College is a mid-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,236. Students borrow a median of $14,054 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $26,671. That is a strong return on a $14,054 median debt.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Saint Cloud State University earned it the #5 place for early childhood education. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, Saint Cloud State University is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,245. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $25,449 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of Saint Cloud State University earn a median of $40,580 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Saint Cloud State University admits about 95% of applicants.
Southwest Minnesota State University earned the #6 position for value in early childhood education this year. Set in the town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a moderately-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $10,361 in tuition and fees. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Southwest Minnesota State University generally make around $41,333. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 62%.
University Of Minnesota Twin Cities landed the #7 spot for early childhood education value this year. Set in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $17,214, with out-of-state students paying around $38,362. Students borrow a median of $21,598 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $36,271. That is a strong return on a $21,598 median debt. University Of Minnesota Twin Cities admits about 80% of applicants.
Concordia University Saint Paul came in at #8 for value in early childhood education this year. Concordia University Saint Paul is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul. Students from in state pay about $25,600 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $25,500. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Concordia University Saint Paul generally make around $42,105. That is a strong return on a $25,500 median debt. Concordia University Saint Paul admits about 79% of applicants.
Minnesota State University Moorhead earned the #9 position for value in early childhood education this year. Minnesota State University Moorhead is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Moorhead. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,428. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $43,245. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 59% of applicants are accepted.
Winona State University landed the #10 spot for early childhood education value this year. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State University is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $10,576 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $17,308. Students borrow a median of $26,470 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of Winona State University earn a median of $42,519 early in their careers. Set against $26,470 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Winona State University admits about 76% of applicants.
Capella University placed #11 among the best values for early childhood education. Capella University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,400. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $35,998. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Capella University generally make around $65,786. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Rasmussen College Minnesota ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best value early childhood education schools. Rasmussen College Minnesota is a large private for-profit school located in the city of St. Cloud. In-state tuition and fees average $12,199. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $17,722 in student loans. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $28,188. Set against $17,722 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Metropolitan State University placed #13 among the best values for early childhood education. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Metropolitan State University is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $9,840 in tuition and fees. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $28,279 in student loans. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Metropolitan State University generally make around $42,471. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 99%.
Martin Luther College came in at #14 for value in early childhood education this year. Martin Luther College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of New Ulm. Students from in state pay about $18,120 in tuition and fees. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $21,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Martin Luther College generally make around $46,706. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.
Northwestern College Minnesota placed #15 among the best values for early childhood education. Located in the suburb of Saint Paul, Northwestern College Minnesota is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $37,920. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $25,250 in student loans. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $39,621. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 94%.
More Early Childhood Education Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 28 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 8 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.
