2026 Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[General Family & Consumer Sciences](/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/general-family-consumer-sciences/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 16 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value general family & consumer sciences schools.
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2026 Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general family & consumer sciences, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value General Family & Consumer Sciences Schools
University Of Wisconsin Madison tops our 2026 list of the best value general family & consumer sciences schools in the Great Lakes Region. Located in the city of Madison, University Of Wisconsin Madison is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $11,603 in tuition and fees, compared with $42,103 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $21,813 to complete the general family & consumer sciences program here. Early-career general family & consumer sciences graduates make about $59,877. Set against $21,813 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Wisconsin Madison admits about 45% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Eastern Illinois University earned it the #2 place for general family & consumer sciences. Set in the town of Charleston, Eastern Illinois University is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $13,377 in tuition and fees, compared with $15,859 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for general family & consumer sciences graduates is $26,000. Early-career general family & consumer sciences graduates make about $41,435. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 65%.
Students looking for strong value in general family & consumer sciences will find it at Illinois State University, which ranked #3. Set in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State University is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,410, compared with $26,058 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for general family & consumer sciences graduates is $20,322. Early-career general family & consumer sciences graduates make about $46,330. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 16 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 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.
