by our College Data Analytics Team
[Value](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/security-science-and-technology/criminalistics-and-criminal-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 5 schools to find the best return on investment for value students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in value, balancing cost against outcomes.
Tiffin University tops our 2026 list of the best value value schools in the Great Lakes Region. Tiffin University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Tiffin. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $34,790. Typical student debt for value graduates is $27,000. Soon after graduation, value degree recipients from Tiffin University generally make around $38,994. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 80% of applicants are accepted.
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 · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.