2023 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
12
Ranked Colleges
884
Degrees Awarded
$10,700
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Chemical Engineering is the 70th most popular major in the country with 12,917 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, chemical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $65,870 and had an average of $23,285 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 884 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $66,793 and $23,617 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in chemical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great chemical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the chemical engineering program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Chemical Engineering Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 85 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, WUSTL has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $1,556 for Plains States Region Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WUSTL.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St Louis
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 137 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,698 for Plains States Region Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full UMN Twin Cities Chemical Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Iowa State University is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 136 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $9,766 for Plains States Region Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Iowa State Chemical Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Missouri University of Science and Technology. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a medium-sized school located in Rolla, Missouri that handed out 120 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Missouri University of Science and Technology has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology is $7,356 for plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This medium-sized school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 54 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMN Duluth has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Duluth is $7,843 for plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Chemical Engineering at University of Minnesota - Duluth
University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Mizzou has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mizzou is $11,005 for plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Mizzou
University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 37 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNL has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nebraska - Lincoln is $11,672 for plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 85%.
Full University of Nebraska - Lincoln Chemical Engineering Report
University of Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 51 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $13,554 for plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Iowa.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Iowa
With a ranking of #9, University of North Dakota did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UND is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
UND also took the #10 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UND is $12,394 for Plains States Region Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 Chemical Engineering at University of North Dakota
Kansas State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Kansas State University is a large school located in Manhattan, Kansas that handed out 59 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at K -State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for K -State is $13,436 for plains states region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at K -State
