2026 Best Value Adult Development & Aging Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[Adult Development & Aging](/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/adult-development-and-aging/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools to find the best return on investment for adult development & aging students.
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2026 Best Value Adult Development & Aging Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in adult development & aging, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Adult Development & Aging Schools
Grand Rapids Community College earned the #1 spot for value among adult development & aging schools in the Great Lakes Region. Grand Rapids Community College is a large public school located in the city of Grand Rapids. In-state tuition and fees average $4,179, while out-of-state students pay about $12,219. Students borrow a median of $12,863 to complete the adult development & aging program here. Soon after graduation, adult development & aging degree recipients from Grand Rapids Community College generally make around $25,539. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Ferris State University earned it the #2 place for adult development & aging. Located in the town of Big Rapids, Ferris State University is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $14,778 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for adult development & aging graduates is $28,385. Early-career adult development & aging graduates make about $42,444. That is a strong return on a $28,385 median debt. Roughly 91% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in adult development & aging will find it at Eastern Michigan University, which ranked #3. Eastern Michigan University is a large public school located in the suburb of Ypsilanti. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,990. Typical student debt for adult development & aging graduates is $33,885. Adult Development & Aging graduates of Eastern Michigan University earn a median of $47,887 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $33,885 median debt. The acceptance rate is 80%.
Ohio University Main Campus is a great value for students pursuing a degree in adult development & aging, landing the #4 spot this year. Located in the town of Athens, Ohio University Main Campus is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,158, while out-of-state students pay about $24,838. Adult Development & Aging graduates carry a median of $19,343 in student loans. Early-career adult development & aging graduates make about $49,736. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 85%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 9 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
