by our College Data Analytics Team
[Value](/majors/health-care-professions/bioethics-medical-ethics/nursing-education/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for value students.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the value degrees they offer, see the list below.
Duke University tops our 2026 list of the best value value schools in North Carolina. Located in the city of Durham, Duke University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $68,758. Students borrow a median of $13,296 to complete the value program here. Soon after graduation, value degree recipients from Duke University generally make around $77,120. That is a strong return on a $13,296 median debt. Roughly 6% of applicants are accepted.
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 · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.