by our College Data Analytics Team
[Value](/majors/engineering-technologies/energy-systems/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools to find the best return on investment for value students.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the value degrees they offer, see the list below.
Century College earned the #1 spot for value among value schools in Minnesota. Set in the suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,214. Value graduates carry a median of $21,332 in student loans. Value graduates of Century College earn a median of $47,502 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $21,332 median debt.
This ranking is produced 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 · 8 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.