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2026 Best Value Nursing Science Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

[Nursing Science](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/nursing-science/) 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 3 schools to find the best return on investment for nursing science students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Nursing Science Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

2026 Best Value Nursing Science Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in nursing science, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Nursing Science Schools

1

University Of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO

$11,901 In-State Tuition & Fees

$26,000 Avg Student Debt

$52,231 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in nursing science, no school beat University Of Northern Colorado this year. Set in the city of Greeley, University Of Northern Colorado is a large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,901, with out-of-state students paying around $26,979. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete the nursing science program here. Soon after graduation, nursing science degree recipients from University Of Northern Colorado generally make around $97,319. Set against $26,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 86% of applicants are accepted.

2

Montana State University
Bozeman, MT

$8,460 In-State Tuition & Fees

$28,000 Avg Student Debt

$53,263 Median Earnings (10yr)

Montana State University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in nursing science, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Bozeman, Montana State University is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,460, compared with $33,287 for out-of-state students. Nursing Science graduates carry a median of $28,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, nursing science degree recipients from Montana State University generally make around $86,654. Set against $28,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 82%.

View All Nursing Science Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published 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 · 3 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.