[Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/public-health-community-nurse-nursing/) 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 2 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for public health/community nurse/nursing students.
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If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the public health/community nurse/nursing degrees they offer, see the list below.
Leading the list is California State University Long Beach, our #1 best value for public health/community nurse/nursing in California. Set in the city of Long Beach, California State University Long Beach is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,374, while out-of-state students pay about $19,974. Public Health/community Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $18,661 in student loans. Public Health/community Nurse/nursing graduates of California State University Long Beach earn a median of $129,036 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 46% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in public health/community nurse/nursing will find it at University Of California Irvine, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Irvine, University Of California Irvine is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,752, compared with $46,640 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for public health/community nurse/nursing graduates is $13,400. Soon after graduation, public health/community nurse/nursing degree recipients from University Of California Irvine generally make around $87,466. Set against $13,400 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 29% 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 · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
