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2026 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region

[Natural Sciences](/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/natural-sciences/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 14 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for natural sciences students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2026 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the natural sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Natural Sciences Schools

1

Dominican University
River Forest, IL

$38,828 In-State Tuition & Fees

$25,054 Avg Student Debt

$60,327 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in natural sciences, no school beat Dominican University this year. Set in the suburb of River Forest, Dominican University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $38,828. Students borrow a median of $25,054 to complete the natural sciences program here. Early-career natural sciences graduates make about $27,081. Set against $25,054 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 90% of applicants are accepted.

2

Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH

$49,425 In-State Tuition & Fees

$26,614 Avg Student Debt

$64,873 Median Earnings (10yr)

Xavier University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value natural sciences schools. Xavier University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cincinnati. In-state tuition and fees average $49,425. Typical student debt for natural sciences graduates is $26,614. Soon after graduation, natural sciences degree recipients from Xavier University generally make around $55,045. Set against $26,614 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 86%.

View All Natural Sciences Rankings >

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 · 14 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.