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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Education (With Aid)

1,017 Ranked Colleges
151,132 Degrees Awarded
$22,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Education Schools for a Master's For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 310,601 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, education is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,887 and had an average of $30,244 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 151,132 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 1,017 colleges that offer a degree in education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Education (With Aid)

#1

Hunter College

New York, New York
Top 5% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hunter College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Hunter College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 800 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Hunter is in the top on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at Hunter are $20,828, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Education at Hunter College

#2

Lehman College

Bronx, New York
Top 10% in overall quality

Out of the 1,017 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Lehman College landed the #2 spot on the list. Lehman College is a fairly large school located in Bronx, New York that handed out 394 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Lehman also claimed a top spot on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Lehman College are $21,000, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Education at Lehman

#3

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York
Top 10% in overall quality

Out of the 1,017 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Brooklyn College landed the #3 spot on the list. Brooklyn College is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 489 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Brooklyn College is also in the top of our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at Brooklyn College are $20,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Education at Brooklyn College

#4

The City College of New York

New York, New York
Top 10% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The City College of New York. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 353 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, CCNY is in the top on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at The City College of New York are $20,832.

Full CCNY Education Report

Out of the 1,017 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #5 spot on the list. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s education degrees to 223 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Dominguez Hills are $17,884, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Education at CSUDH

Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 337 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA excels when it comes to education quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723.

Read more about Education at Cal State LA

#7

Baruch College

New York, New York
Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Baruch College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Baruch is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 55 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Baruch are $20,880.

Full Baruch College Education Report

#8

Queens College

Queens, New York
Top 10% in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Queens College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Queens College is a public institution located in Queens, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 442 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

QC also claimed a top spot on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at QC are $21,042, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full QC Education Report

California State University - Fresno ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 295 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Fresno State are $17,581, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Fresno State Education Report

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 461 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Education at California State University - Fullerton

#18 in overall quality

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 337 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.

UW Seattle also made our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Education Report

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 363 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Rio Grande Valley are $15,151, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Education at UT Rio Grande Valley

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 188 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUB are $18,437, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Education at California State University - Bakersfield

#14

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
Top 5% in overall quality

University of Florida ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 352 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UF also claimed a top spot on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UF are $30,130, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Florida Education Report

#15

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Top 15% in overall quality

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s education degrees to 108 students in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are $30,248, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Education at UNC Chapel Hill

Texas A&M International University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Texas A&M International University is located in Laredo, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 135 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M International University are $15,106.

Read full report on Education at Texas A&M International University

#17

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Harvard University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 691 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.

Harvard also took the #2 spot in our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard are $50,654, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Education at Harvard University

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 117 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Stan State are $18,540, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Education at Stan State

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 196 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Education at California State University - Long Beach

#20

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, Utah
Top 20% in overall quality

Western Governors University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. WGU is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5,984 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, WGU also did well on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Western Governors University are $7,790.

Read more about Education at Western Governors University

Top 10% in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 130 degrees to qualified masters’s education students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also claimed a top spot on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456.

Full UC Irvine Education Report

California State University - Northridge ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 350 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUN are $17,955, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full CSUN Education Report

Texas A & M University - Central Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Texas A & M University - Central Texas is a small school located in Killeen, Texas that handed out 32 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A & M University - Central Texas are $13,561.

Read full report on Education at Texas A & M University - Central Texas

#24

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#3 in overall quality

Stanford University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 169 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011.

Read more about Education at Stanford

Louisiana State University - Shreveport did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. This medium-sized school is located in Shreveport, Louisiana, and it awarded 214 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Louisiana State University - Shreveport are $19,731, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Louisiana State University - Shreveport Education Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Heritage University

Toppenish, Washington
#27

College of Staten Island CUNY

Staten Island, New York
#29

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#30

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida
#33

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#34

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina
#35

SUNY Old Westbury

Old Westbury, New York
#36

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California
#37

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#44

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
#45

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#46

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#47

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

La Crosse, Wisconsin
#48

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
52 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
53 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
54 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
55 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
56 University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK
57 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
58 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
59 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
60 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
61 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
62 Valley City State University Valley City, ND
63 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
64 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
65 Lamar University Beaumont, TX
Rank College Location
65 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
67 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
68 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
69 Augusta University Augusta, GA
70 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
71 Indiana University - Southeast New Albany, IN
72 University of Alaska Southeast Juneau, AK
73 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
74 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
75 Truman State University Kirksville, MO
76 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
77 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
78 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
79 University of Georgia Athens, GA
80 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
81 Angelo State University San Angelo, TX
82 University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK
82 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
84 MSU Texas Wichita Falls, TX
85 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
86 The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX
87 Marshall University Huntington, WV
88 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
89 University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville, WI
90 Dickinson State University Dickinson, ND
Rank College Location
91 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC
92 East Central University Ada, OK
93 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
94 Minot State University Minot, ND
95 California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA
96 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC
97 Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA
98 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
99 Towson University Towson, MD
100 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
101 University of Phoenix - Arizona Tempe, AZ
102 Georgia Southwestern State University Americus, GA
102 Governors State University University Park, IL
103 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
104 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
105 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
106 Emporia State University Emporia, KS
107 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
108 University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, WI
109 Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK
109 University of Houston Houston, TX
111 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
112 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
113 Indiana University - South Bend South Bend, IN
114 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
Rank College Location
115 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
116 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
117 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
118 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
118 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA
120 McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA
121 Purdue University Northwest Hammond, IN
122 Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA
123 University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC
124 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
125 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
125 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
127 University of St Francis Joliet, IL
128 Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR
129 New Mexico Highlands University Las Vegas, NM
130 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
131 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL
132 Columbus State University Columbus, GA
133 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
134 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
135 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
136 Texas A&M University - San Antonio San Antonio, TX
137 University of North Texas Denton, TX
138 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
139 University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe, LA
Rank College Location
140 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
141 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
142 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
143 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
144 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
145 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
146 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
147 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
148 Southern Utah University Cedar City, UT
149 University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, IL
150 Iowa State University Ames, IA
151 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
152 University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg, KY
153 SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Horadrim.

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