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2022 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

48 Ranked Colleges
4,150 Degrees Awarded
$9,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Engineering Technologies is the 19th most popular major in the country with 86,730 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, engineering technologies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $46,894 and had an average of $21,178 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 15,619 engineering technologies graduates with average earnings and debt of $50,695 and $21,614 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,150 engineering technologies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 48 colleges that offer a degree in engineering technologies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering technologies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the engineering technologies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering Technologies (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 706 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also made our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,483 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Purdue Engineering Technologies Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Michigan Technological University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Houghton, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering tech degrees to 68 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan Tech has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan Tech is $8,295 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering Technologies at Michigan Technological University

#3

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 228 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan State has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $6,686 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Michigan State

#4

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #4 spot on the list. UW - Platteville is a public institution located in Platteville, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 168 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Platteville, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $12,117 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Wisconsin - Platteville Engineering Technologies Report

#5

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ferris State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Ferris is located in Big Rapids, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 279 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees to qualified students.

Ferris did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ferris State University is $7,207 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Ferris State University

#20 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering tech students in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UIUC Engineering Technologies Report

#7

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
#17 in overall quality

Lake Superior State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, this small public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering tech students in 2019-2020.

Lake Superior State University also took the #17 spot in our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Superior State University is $7,067 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lake Superior State University Engineering Technologies Report

#8

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
#6 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stout came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school handed out 93 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering tech students in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout also made our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stout is $10,695 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at UW - Stout

#9

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

With a ranking of #9, Purdue University Northwest did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University Northwest is a medium-sized public school situated in Hammond, Indiana. It awarded 142 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue Northwest is $6,911 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Purdue University Northwest

#12 in overall quality

Miami University - Hamilton ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Miami University - Hamilton is a small public school situated in Hamilton, Ohio. It awarded 42 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k list, Miami University - Hamilton has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,993 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Miami University - Hamilton.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Miami University - Hamilton

#11

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#23 in overall quality

Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Ball State is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 34 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

Ball State also made our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend Ball State University is $8,403 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Ball State University Engineering Technologies Report

With a ranking of #12, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 141 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $5,052 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at IUPUI

#13

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. USI is a public institution located in Evansville, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern Indiana is $8,244 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering Technologies at USI

#14

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, Michigan
#14 in overall quality

Saginaw Valley State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Saginaw Valley State University is a medium-sized school located in University Center, Michigan that handed out 18 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Saginaw Valley State University, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $10,522 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Saginaw Valley State University.

Full Saginaw Valley State University Engineering Technologies Report

#15

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a fairly large public school situated in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It awarded 33 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Whitewater is $11,868 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Engineering Technologies Report

#16

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Northern Illinois University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 101 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k list, NIU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northern Illinois University Engineering Technologies Report

#15 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 238 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering tech students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $13,658 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#18

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Purdue University Fort Wayne came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fort Wayne, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering tech degrees to 73 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend PFW is $7,129 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full PFW Engineering Technologies Report

#19

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#22 in overall quality

Grand Valley State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering tech students in 2019-2020.

GVSU also took the #22 spot in our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend GVSU is $11,578 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Grand Valley State University

#20

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. EIU is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 22 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $12,350 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Engineering Technologies at Eastern Illinois University

#21

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Illinois State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Engineering Technologies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $14,470 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Illinois State

#22

Northern Michigan University

Marquette, Michigan

With a ranking of #22, Northern Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northern Michigan University is located in Marquette, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Northern Michigan University is $9,137 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northern Michigan University Engineering Technologies Report

#23

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Wayne State University is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Wayne State is $11,413 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Wayne State University

#24

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Central Michigan University is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 88 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $11,598 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Engineering Technologies at Central Michigan University

#25

Vincennes University

Vincennes, Indiana

With a ranking of #25, Vincennes University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vincennes University is located in Vincennes, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 bachelors’s engineering tech degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Vincennes University is $8,729 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Engineering Technologies at Vincennes University

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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.

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