2026 Best Value Medical Scientist Schools in the Great Lakes Region

[Medical Scientist](/majors/health-care-professions/medical-science/medical-scientist/) 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 15 schools to find the best return on investment for medical scientist students.
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2026 Best Value Medical Scientist Schools in the Great Lakes Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the medical scientist degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Medical Scientist Schools
Leading the list is Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, our #1 best value for medical scientist in the Great Lakes Region. Set in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,762, while out-of-state students pay about $34,891. Students borrow a median of $23,146 to complete the medical scientist program here. Soon after graduation, medical scientist degree recipients from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis generally make around $56,930. Set against $23,146 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Cincinnati Main Campus is a great value for students pursuing a degree in medical scientist, landing the #2 spot this year. University Of Cincinnati Main Campus is a very large public school located in the city of Cincinnati. In-state tuition and fees average $13,363, while out-of-state students pay about $28,697. Students borrow a median of $16,250 to complete the medical scientist program here. Early-career medical scientist graduates make about $212,718. That is a strong return on a $16,250 median debt. The acceptance rate is 85%.
Northwestern University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value medical scientist schools. Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston. In-state tuition and fees average $68,322. Typical student debt for medical scientist graduates is $16,616. Medical Scientist graduates of Northwestern University earn a median of $124,451 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Northwestern University admits about 8% of applicants.
A rank of #4 makes Butler University one of the best values for medical scientist. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Butler University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $47,560. Typical student debt for medical scientist graduates is $25,351. Soon after graduation, medical scientist degree recipients from Butler University generally make around $68,222. That is a strong return on a $25,351 median debt. The acceptance rate is 85%.
A rank of #5 makes Case Western Reserve University one of the best values for medical scientist. Set in the city of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $66,608. Medical Scientist graduates carry a median of $25,106 in student loans. Early-career medical scientist graduates make about $74,459. That is a strong return on a $25,106 median debt. Roughly 36% of applicants are accepted.
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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 · 15 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 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.