2026 Best Value Funeral Direction/Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region

[Funeral Direction/Service](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/funeral-mortuary-science/funeral-direction-service/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for funeral direction/service students.
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2026 Best Value Funeral Direction/Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in funeral direction/service, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Funeral Direction/Service Schools
Leading the list is Milwaukee Area Technical College, our #1 best value for funeral direction/service in the Great Lakes Region. Set in the city of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $5,184, compared with $7,427 for out-of-state students. Funeral Direction/service graduates carry a median of $18,296 in student loans. Funeral Direction/service graduates of Milwaukee Area Technical College earn a median of $38,325 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Wayne State University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in funeral direction/service, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Detroit, Wayne State University is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $16,159 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $34,650. Students borrow a median of $23,648 to complete the funeral direction/service program here. Funeral Direction/service graduates of Wayne State University earn a median of $52,829 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,648 median debt. Wayne State University admits about 81% of applicants.
Mid America College Of Funeral Service came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value funeral direction/service schools. Mid America College Of Funeral Service is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Jeffersonville. In-state tuition and fees average $19,000. Typical student debt for funeral direction/service graduates is $22,320. Soon after graduation, funeral direction/service degree recipients from Mid America College Of Funeral Service generally make around $45,996. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced 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 · 5 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.