by our College Data Analytics Team
[Medical Scientist](/majors/health-care-professions/medical-science/medical-scientist/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong medical scientist education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools to find the best return on investment for medical scientist students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in medical scientist, balancing cost against outcomes.
Harvard University tops our 2026 list of the best value medical scientist schools in the New England Region. Set in the city of Cambridge, Harvard University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $61,676. Typical student debt for medical scientist graduates is $16,616. Early-career medical scientist graduates make about $95,207. That is a strong return on a $16,616 median debt. Roughly 4% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Vermont is a great value for students pursuing a degree in medical scientist, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Burlington, University Of Vermont is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $19,058, while out-of-state students pay about $45,502. Medical Scientist graduates carry a median of $22,607 in student loans. Medical Scientist graduates of University Of Vermont earn a median of $44,588 early in their careers. Set against $22,607 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Vermont admits about 65% of applicants.
Brown University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value medical scientist schools. Located in the city of Providence, Brown University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $71,312. Medical Scientist graduates carry a median of $13,025 in student loans. Medical Scientist graduates of Brown University earn a median of $62,820 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Brown University admits about 5% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in medical scientist will find it at Yale University, which ranked #4. Yale University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New Haven. Students from in state pay about $67,250 in tuition and fees. Medical Scientist graduates carry a median of $14,357 in student loans. Medical Scientist graduates of Yale University earn a median of $74,578 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $14,357 median debt. Roughly 4% of applicants are accepted.
Tufts University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best value medical scientist schools. Set in the suburb of Medford, Tufts University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $70,704. Students borrow a median of $17,074 to complete the medical scientist program here. Medical Scientist graduates of Tufts University earn a median of $68,154 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 12%.
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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 · 8 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.