2026 Best Value Medical Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region

[Medical Science](/majors/health-care-professions/medical-science/) 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.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 16 schools to find the best return on investment for medical science students.
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2026 Best Value Medical Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the medical science degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Medical Science Schools
For return on investment in medical science, no school beat Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis this year. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis is a very large public school located in the city of Indianapolis. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,762, while out-of-state students pay about $34,891. Medical Science graduates carry a median of $23,146 in student loans. Early-career medical science graduates make about $56,930. Set against $23,146 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis admits about 76% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Cincinnati Main Campus one of the best values for medical science. University Of Cincinnati Main Campus is a very large public school located in the city of Cincinnati. Students from in state pay about $13,363 in tuition and fees, compared with $28,697 for out-of-state students. Medical Science graduates carry a median of $16,250 in student loans. Soon after graduation, medical science degree recipients from University Of Cincinnati Main Campus generally make around $212,718. Set against $16,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Cincinnati Main Campus admits about 85% of applicants.
Northwestern University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in medical science, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $68,322. Medical Science graduates carry a median of $16,616 in student loans. Medical Science graduates of Northwestern University earn a median of $124,451 early in their careers. Set against $16,616 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 8% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Butler University earned it the #4 place for medical science. Set in the city of Indianapolis, Butler University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $47,560 in tuition and fees. Medical Science graduates carry a median of $25,351 in student loans. Medical Science graduates of Butler University earn a median of $68,222 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,351 median debt. Butler University admits about 85% of applicants.
A rank of #5 makes Case Western Reserve University one of the best values for medical science. Case Western Reserve University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cleveland. Students from in state pay about $66,608 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for medical science graduates is $25,106. Medical Science graduates of Case Western Reserve University earn a median of $74,459 early in their careers. Set against $25,106 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Case Western Reserve University admits about 36% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 16 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.