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2023 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

11 Ranked Colleges
131 Degrees Awarded
$15,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 131 people earned their degree in civil engineering, making the major the 908th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in civil engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality civil engineering 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 civil engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for civil engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k)

1

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 9 ’s civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle also took the #2 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,194 for civil engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UW Seattle Civil Engineering Report

2

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #2 spot on the list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also took the #3 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for civil engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Davis Civil Engineering Report

3
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northeastern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Northeastern also took the #5 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,240 for civil engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northeastern.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Northeastern

4
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 1 ’s civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our civil engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,287 for Civil Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Southern California

5
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

Notre Dame also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Notre Dame is $9,872 for civil engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Notre Dame Civil Engineering Report

6

With a ranking of #6, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 42 ’s civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $12,173 for Civil Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Civil Engineering Report

7
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 5 ’s civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $8,987 for civil engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Civil Engineering at University of Arizona

8

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3 ’s civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Tech, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,515 for civil engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois Tech.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Civil Engineering Report

9

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil engineering degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $11,665 for civil engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at SIUC

10
WPI crest
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester Polytechnic Institute came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in Worcester, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WPI, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute is $31,779 for civil engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.

Full Worcester Polytechnic Institute Civil Engineering Report

11

With a ranking of #11, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Daytona Beach, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s civil engineering degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is $30,285 for Civil Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach

Notes and References

References

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