by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Doctor's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking. A school that typically has a high sticker price may actually be very affordable, depending on how much need-based financial aid you receive.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
We analyzed 657 schools across the United States to determine which have the best value Doctor's Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Doctor's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $0-$30k a year. The net price is the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Massachusetts Institute of Technology the best value (income $0-$30k) school in the United States for students working on their doctor’s degree. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the honor of being ranked #1 in Massachusetts for overall quality on top of being a good value.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is University of Pennsylvania a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Pennsylvania for overall quality.
A rank of #3 on our Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) list means Stanford University is a great place for students working on their degree. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Stanford University has the honor of being ranked #1 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Out of the 657 doctor’s degree schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in New York, New York, the school is a large private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Columbia University in the City of New York is ranked #2 for quality in the state of New York.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Value Report
Out of the 657 doctor’s degree schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Johns Hopkins University landed the #5 spot on the list. Johns Hopkins University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Baltimore, Maryland.
Johns Hopkins University has the honor of being ranked #1 in Maryland for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Harvard University landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Harvard University is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Massachusetts.
Georgetown University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking. Georgetown is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Georgetown University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of District of Columbia.
Yale University did quite well in the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking, coming in at #8. New Haven, Connecticut is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Yale University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Connecticut for overall quality.
University of Chicago landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is University of Chicago a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Illinois for overall quality.
Cornell University did quite well in the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking, coming in at #10. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Cornell University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of New York.
Duke University did quite well in the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking, coming in at #11. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and has a fairly large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Duke University has the honor of being ranked #1 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
With a ranking of #12, University of Florida did quite well on the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) list. University of Florida is a large public school located in Gainesville, Florida.
Not only is University of Florida a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Florida for overall quality.
Rice University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) list. Located in Houston, Texas, the school is a medium-sized private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Rice University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Texas.
Princeton University did quite well in the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking, coming in at #14. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Princeton, New Jersey.
Not only is Princeton University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in New Jersey for overall quality.
Vanderbilt University landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Nashville, Tennessee.
Not only is Vanderbilt University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Tennessee for overall quality.
With a ranking of #16, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Washington University in St Louis has the honor of being ranked #1 in Missouri for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is Purdue University - Main Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Indiana for overall quality.
Michigan State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking. Michigan State University is a large public school located in East Lansing, Michigan.
Not only is Michigan State University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Michigan for overall quality.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Michigan.
Brown University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) list. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
Brown University has the honor of being ranked #1 in Rhode Island for overall quality on top of being a good value.
With a ranking of #21, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Wisconsin - Madison is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Wisconsin.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Washington - Seattle Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Washington for overall quality.
Read full value report on University of Washington - Seattle Campus
landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking.
Northwestern University landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois.
Not only is Northwestern University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Illinois for overall quality.
With a ranking of #25, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2024 Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school located in Champaign, Illinois.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has the honor of being ranked #3 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | Value Report |
| 52 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | Value Report |
| 53 | William & Mary | Williamsburg, VA | Value Report |
| 54 | University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, IN | Value Report |
| 55 | Michigan Technological University | Houghton, MI | Value Report |
| 56 | The City College of New York | New York, NY | Value Report |
| 57 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ | Value Report |
| 58 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | Rolla, MO | Value Report |
| 59 | University of North Texas | Denton, TX | Value Report |
| 60 | Emory University | Atlanta, GA | Value Report |
| 61 | Towson University | Towson, MD | Value Report |
| 62 | University of North Florida | Jacksonville, FL | Value Report |
| 63 | The University of West Florida | Pensacola, FL | Value Report |
| 64 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL | Value Report |
| 65 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL | Value Report |
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | Boston University | Boston, MA | Value Report |
| 92 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, TX | Value Report |
| 93 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ | Value Report |
| 94 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX | Value Report |
| 95 | Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton, FL | Value Report |
| 95 | Brandeis University | Waltham, MA | Value Report |
| 97 | University of the Pacific | Stockton, CA | Value Report |
| 98 | University of Mississippi | University, MS | Value Report |
| 99 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI | Value Report |
All Majors and Fields of Study >
These schools also performed well in our Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | College of Staten Island CUNY | Staten Island, NY | Value Report |
| 101 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN | Value Report |
| 102 | University of California - Riverside | Riverside, CA | Value Report |
| 103 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL | Value Report |
| 104 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark, NJ | Value Report |
| 105 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | Value Report |
| 106 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN | Value Report |
| 107 | University of Massachusetts - Lowell | Lowell, MA | Value Report |
| 108 | Florida Gulf Coast University | Fort Myers, FL | Value Report |
| 109 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ | Value Report |
| 110 | SUNY Polytechnic Institute | Utica, NY | Value Report |
| 111 | University of Louisiana at Monroe | Monroe, LA | Value Report |
| 112 | Eastern Washington University | Cheney, WA | Value Report |
| 113 | Ferris State University | Big Rapids, MI | Value Report |
| 114 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | Denver, CO | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.