by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a degree. College Factual has developed its Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision.
In This Year's Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 1,148 schools in the United States to determine which ones have the best value Master's Degree programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best value schools. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
To determine the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money ranking, we first add average tuition, fees, and room and board costs (without aid) together. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Western Governors University the best value (no aid) school in the United States for students working on their master’s degree. Western Governors University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Not only is Western Governors University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Utah for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $13,790 a year.
Out of the 1,148 master’s degree schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #2 spot on the list. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Brigham Young University - Provo is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Utah. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $15,748 a year.
Out of the 1,148 master’s degree schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, United States University landed the #3 spot on the list. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private for-profit school.
United States University has the honor of being ranked #30 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,969 per year for graduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money list. American Military University is a private for-profit institution located in Charles Town, West Virginia.
American Public University System has the honor of being ranked #1 in West Virginia for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $14,762 a year.
A rank of #5 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money list means Concordia University, Nebraska is a great place for students working on their degree. Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school located in Seward, Nebraska.
Concordia University, Nebraska has the honor of being ranked #3 in Nebraska for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $18,250 a year.
The Master’s University and Seminary came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking. The Master’s University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clarita, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, The Master’s University and Seminary is ranked #15 for quality in the state of California. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $20,910 a year.
Learn More About Value at The Master’s University and Seminary
Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking, coming in at #7. Concordia University, Chicago is located in River Forest, Illinois and has a medium-sized student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Concordia University, Chicago is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $19,808 a year.
With a ranking of #8, Columbia International University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money list. CIU is located in Columbia, South Carolina and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Columbia International University has the honor of being ranked #2 in South Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $20,760 a year.
With a ranking of #9, Walden University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money list. Walden University is a private for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Walden University is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $19,931 a year.
University of the Cumberlands did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking, coming in at #10. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Williamsburg, Kentucky.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of the Cumberlands is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Kentucky. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,882 per year for graduate students.
Concordia University, Irvine did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking, coming in at #11. Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Irvine, California.
Not only is Concordia University, Irvine a great value, but it is also ranked #23 in California for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $21,124 a year.
Morningside College landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking. Morningside College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Sioux City, Iowa.
Morningside College has the honor of being ranked #6 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $16,926 a year.
Capella University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking, coming in at #13. This large private for-profit school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Capella University is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average cost without aid for the school is $20,784 per year for graduate students.
Valley City State University landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking. Valley City State University is a public institution located in Valley City, North Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Valley City State University is ranked #5 for quality in the state of North Dakota. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,642 per year for graduate students.
Ashland University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Ashland, Ohio.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Ashland University is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Ohio. The average cost without aid for the school is $17,912 per year for graduate students.
University of Mary came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking. UMary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bismarck, North Dakota.
University of Mary has the honor of being ranked #1 in North Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $21,294 per year for graduate students.
Kettering University landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking. Kettering University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Flint, Michigan.
Not only is Kettering University a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Michigan for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $23,528 a year.
With a ranking of #18, Colorado State University - Global Campus did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money list. This fairly large public school is located in Aurora, Colorado.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Colorado State University - Global Campus is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Colorado. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,264 per year for graduate students.
Read full value report on Colorado State University - Global Campus
Northwestern College did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking, coming in at #19. NWC is located in Orange City, Iowa and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Northwestern College a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in Iowa for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $16,360 a year.
Mount Marty University landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking. Mount Marty is a private not-for-profit institution located in Yankton, South Dakota.
Mount Marty University has the honor of being ranked #3 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $18,204 a year.
Fielding Graduate University landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking. Fielding Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Santa Barbara, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Fielding Graduate University is ranked #8 for quality in the state of California. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $29,718 a year.
With a ranking of #22, Wilmington University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money list. Wilmington University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Castle, Delaware.
Not only is Wilmington University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Delaware for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $15,060 a year.
With a ranking of #23, University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money list. UOPX - Arizona is located in Phoenix, Arizona and has a large student population. It is a private for-profit school.
Not only is University of Phoenix - Arizona a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Arizona for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $22,003 a year.
Grand Canyon University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking, coming in at #24. Grand Canyon University is a large private for-profit school situated in Phoenix, Arizona.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Grand Canyon University is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Arizona. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $19,338 a year.
La Salle University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is La Salle University a great value, but it is also ranked #22 in Pennsylvania for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $16,805 per year for graduate students.
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 | University of Scranton | Scranton, PA | Value Report |
| 52 | Bellevue University | Bellevue, NE | Value Report |
| 53 | Arkansas State University - Main Campus | Jonesboro, AR | Value Report |
| 54 | Providence College | Providence, RI | Value Report |
| 55 | Harding University | Searcy, AR | Value Report |
| 56 | Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses | Fort Wayne, IN | Value Report |
| 57 | Arizona State University - Skysong | Scottsdale, AZ | Value Report |
| 58 | Value Report | ||
| 59 | Heritage University | Toppenish, WA | Value Report |
| 60 | Indiana Wesleyan University | Marion, IN | Value Report |
| 61 | Northwest Missouri State University | Maryville, MO | Value Report |
| 62 | University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras | San Juan, PR | Value Report |
| 63 | Campbellsville University | Campbellsville, KY | Value Report |
| 63 | Cedarville University | Cedarville, OH | Value Report |
| 65 | Gordon College | Wenham, MA | Value Report |
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 166 | Carson - Newman University | Jefferson City, TN | Value Report |
| 167 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL | Value Report |
| 167 | Mississippi College | Clinton, MS | Value Report |
| 169 | National University | La Jolla, CA | Value Report |
| 169 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI | Value Report |
| 171 | University of Wisconsin - Platteville | Platteville, WI | Value Report |
| 171 | Avila University | Kansas City, MO | Value Report |
| 173 | West Texas A&M University | Canyon, TX | Value Report |
All Majors and Fields of Study >
These schools also performed well in our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 174 | University of North Texas | Denton, TX | Value Report |
| 175 | Texas Woman’s University | Denton, TX | Value Report |
| 176 | Wheaton College Illinois | Wheaton, IL | Value Report |
| 177 | Otterbein University | Westerville, OH | Value Report |
| 178 | University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez | Mayaguez, PR | Value Report |
| 179 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH | Value Report |
| 180 | Endicott College | Beverly, MA | Value Report |
| 181 | McDaniel College | Westminster, MD | Value Report |
| 182 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE | Value Report |
| 183 | Baker University | Baldwin City, KS | Value Report |
| 184 | Bellarmine University | Louisville, KY | Value Report |
| 184 | Sewanee - The University of the South | Sewanee, TN | Value Report |
| 186 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN | Value Report |
| 187 | Belhaven University | Jackson, MS | Value Report |
| 188 | Lasell University | Newton, MA | Value Report |
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 229 | Northern State University | Aberdeen, SD | Value Report |
| 230 | Bemidji State University | Bemidji, MN | Value Report |
| 230 | Youngstown State University | Youngstown, OH | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.