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2026 Best Value Human Development & Family Studies Schools in Colorado

[Human Development & Family Studies](/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/) 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.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 6 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for human development & family studies students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Human Development & Family Studies Schools in Colorado

2026 Best Value Human Development & Family Studies Schools in Colorado

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in human development & family studies, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Human Development & Family Studies Schools

1

Mesa State College
Grand Junction, CO

$9,927 In-State Tuition & Fees

$22,310 Avg Student Debt

$45,823 Median Earnings (10yr)

Mesa State College earned the #1 spot for value among human development & family studies schools in Colorado. Located in the city of Grand Junction, Mesa State College is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $9,927, while out-of-state students pay about $25,124. Human Development & Family Studies graduates carry a median of $22,310 in student loans. Soon after graduation, human development & family studies degree recipients from Mesa State College generally make around $43,617. That is a strong return on a $22,310 median debt. Mesa State College admits about 82% of applicants.

2

University Of Colorado Denver
Denver, CO

$10,383 In-State Tuition & Fees

$25,000 Avg Student Debt

$64,270 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in human development & family studies will find it at University Of Colorado Denver, which ranked #2. University Of Colorado Denver is a very large public school located in the city of Denver. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,383, compared with $29,391 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for human development & family studies graduates is $25,000. Soon after graduation, human development & family studies degree recipients from University Of Colorado Denver generally make around $43,574. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 75% of applicants are accepted.

View All Human Development & Family Studies Rankings >

Notes and References

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 · 6 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.