2026 Best Value Costume Design Schools in the The Plains States Region
[Costume Design](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/drama-and-theater-arts/costume-design/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for costume design students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Costume Design Schools in the The Plains States Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in costume design, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Costume Design Schools
Stephens College earned the #1 spot for value among costume design schools in the The Plains States Region. Stephens College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Columbia. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $28,300. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the costume design program here. Costume Design graduates of Stephens College earn a median of $16,476 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 77%.
Webster University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value costume design schools. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, Webster University is a large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $31,750. Typical student debt for costume design graduates is $26,000. Soon after graduation, costume design degree recipients from Webster University generally make around $13,182. Set against $26,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 86%.
Narrow Costume Design Schools by State
More Costume Design Rankings
View All Costume Design Rankings >
Notes and References
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 · 3 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.
