by our College Data Analytics Team
[Romance Languages](/majors/foreign-languages-linguistics/romance-languages/) 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 19 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for romance languages students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in romance languages, balancing cost against outcomes.
For return on investment in romance languages, no school beat Grinnell College this year. Set in the town of Grinnell, Grinnell College is a small private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $68,196 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for romance languages graduates is $17,814. Early-career romance languages graduates make about $28,691. Set against $17,814 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 14% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Iowa State University earned it the #2 place for romance languages. Iowa State University is a very large public school located in the city of Ames. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,787, with out-of-state students paying around $28,881. Typical student debt for romance languages graduates is $23,748. Soon after graduation, romance languages degree recipients from Iowa State University generally make around $37,909. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Iowa is a great value for students pursuing a degree in romance languages, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Iowa City, University Of Iowa is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $11,283, while out-of-state students pay about $33,371. Typical student debt for romance languages graduates is $23,702. Soon after graduation, romance languages degree recipients from University Of Iowa generally make around $28,746. That is a strong return on a $23,702 median debt. University Of Iowa admits about 84% of applicants.
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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 · 19 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.