2026 Best Value Child development Schools in West Virginia
[Child development](/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/child-development/) 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 3 schools to find the best return on investment for child development students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Child development Schools in West Virginia
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the child development degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Child development Schools
For return on investment in child development, no school beat West Virginia University At Parkersburg this year. Set in the rural area of Parkersburg, West Virginia University At Parkersburg is a mid-sized public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $5,476, while out-of-state students pay about $9,424. Students borrow a median of $15,595 to complete the child development program here. Early-career child development graduates make about $45,400. That is a strong return on a $15,595 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in child development will find it at American Public University System, which ranked #2. American Public University System is a very large private for-profit school located in the town of Charles Town. In-state tuition and fees average $8,400. Students borrow a median of $26,340 to complete the child development program here. Child Development graduates of American Public University System earn a median of $27,587 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
West Virginia University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value child development schools. Located in the city of Morgantown, West Virginia University is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,104, while out-of-state students pay about $28,608. Child Development graduates carry a median of $25,242 in student loans. Early-career child development graduates make about $32,306. Set against $25,242 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 3 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.
