ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Value Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the New England Region

7 Colleges in the United States
$20,743 Avg Student Debt
$88,439 Avg Median Earnings (10yr)
2026 Best Value Urban Studies/Affairs Badge [Urban Studies/Affairs](/majors/social-sciences/urban-studies/urban-studies-affairs/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

College Factual analyzed 10 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value urban studies/affairs schools.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/urban-studies/urban-studies-affairs/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/urban-studies/urban-studies-affairs/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/urban-studies/urban-studies-affairs/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/urban-studies/urban-studies-affairs/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/urban-studies/urban-studies-affairs/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/urban-studies/urban-studies-affairs/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/urban-studies/urban-studies-affairs/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 3
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 45.12), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "BA in Sociology" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BA in Sociology" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Urban Planning (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Urban Planning (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Urban Planning (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Urban Planning (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 1
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 0 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 0
DEBUG: No ESYOH offers, checking direct offers

2026 Best Value Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the New England Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in urban studies/affairs, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Urban Studies/Affairs Schools

1
Harvard University crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

Our analysis ranked Harvard University the best value for a degree in urban studies/affairs in the New England Region. Set in the city of Cambridge, Harvard University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $61,676 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for urban studies/affairs graduates is $16,616. Soon after graduation, urban studies/affairs degree recipients from Harvard University generally make around $95,207. Set against $16,616 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Harvard University admits about 4% of applicants.

2

University Of Connecticut came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value urban studies/affairs schools. Located in the town of Storrs, University Of Connecticut is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $21,044 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $43,712. Students borrow a median of $23,000 to complete the urban studies/affairs program here. Urban Studies/affairs graduates of University Of Connecticut earn a median of $34,074 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,000 median debt. University Of Connecticut admits about 52% of applicants.

3
Brown University crest
Brown University
Providence, RI

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Brown University earned it the #3 place for urban studies/affairs. Brown University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Providence. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $71,312. Urban Studies/affairs graduates carry a median of $14,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, urban studies/affairs degree recipients from Brown University generally make around $48,731. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 5% of applicants are accepted.

4
Boston University crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

Boston University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in urban studies/affairs, landing the #4 spot this year. Located in the city of Boston, Boston University is a very large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $68,102. Typical student debt for urban studies/affairs graduates is $25,232. Early-career urban studies/affairs graduates make about $63,598. Set against $25,232 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Boston University admits about 11% of applicants.

5

A rank of #5 makes Northeastern University one of the best values for urban studies/affairs. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern University is a very large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $66,162. Urban Studies/affairs graduates carry a median of $25,611 in student loans. Early-career urban studies/affairs graduates make about $74,800. Set against $25,611 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 5%.

ADBLOCK #101
6
Trinity College crest
Trinity College
Hartford, CT

Trinity College earned the #6 position for value in urban studies/affairs this year. Trinity College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Hartford. In-state tuition and fees average $70,770. Urban Studies/affairs graduates carry a median of $23,667 in student loans. Urban Studies/affairs graduates of Trinity College earn a median of $52,927 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,667 median debt. The acceptance rate is 29%.

7
Tufts University crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA

Tufts University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best value urban studies/affairs schools. Tufts University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Medford. In-state tuition and fees average $70,704. Students borrow a median of $17,074 to complete the urban studies/affairs program here. Early-career urban studies/affairs graduates make about $64,224. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Tufts University admits about 12% of applicants.

ADBLOCK #173
View All Urban Studies/Affairs Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

The ranking above is published 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 · 10 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 7 ranked schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options