2026 Best Value Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling Schools in the The Plains States Region
[Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling](/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/marriage-and-family-therapy-counseling/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 8 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for marriage and family therapy/counseling students.
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2026 Best Value Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling Schools in the The Plains States Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the marriage and family therapy/counseling degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling Schools
Capella University earned the #1 spot for value among marriage and family therapy/counseling schools in the The Plains States Region. Set in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a very large private for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $14,400. Students borrow a median of $35,998 to complete the marriage and family therapy/counseling program here. Soon after graduation, marriage and family therapy/counseling degree recipients from Capella University generally make around $47,787. Set against $35,998 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Saint Marys University Of Minnesota came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value marriage and family therapy/counseling schools. Saint Marys University Of Minnesota is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Winona. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,080. Typical student debt for marriage and family therapy/counseling graduates is $27,081. Marriage And Family Therapy/counseling graduates of Saint Marys University Of Minnesota earn a median of $50,065 early in their careers. Set against $27,081 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 93% of applicants are accepted.
Mount Mercy University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value marriage and family therapy/counseling schools. Located in the city of Cedar Rapids, Mount Mercy University is a small private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $40,878. Marriage And Family Therapy/counseling graduates carry a median of $27,709 in student loans. Soon after graduation, marriage and family therapy/counseling degree recipients from Mount Mercy University generally make around $45,912. Set against $27,709 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 82% of applicants are accepted.
Friends University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best value marriage and family therapy/counseling schools. Set in the city of Wichita, Friends University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $34,192. Typical student debt for marriage and family therapy/counseling graduates is $29,721. Marriage And Family Therapy/counseling graduates of Friends University earn a median of $43,226 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 55%.
Students looking for strong value in marriage and family therapy/counseling will find it at Saint Louis University Main Campus, which ranked #5. Set in the city of Saint Louis, Saint Louis University Main Campus is a large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $55,760. Marriage And Family Therapy/counseling graduates carry a median of $26,586 in student loans. Early-career marriage and family therapy/counseling graduates make about $65,599. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 75% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
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 3 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.
