2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
238
Ranked Colleges
21,388
Degrees Awarded
$5,600
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Civil Engineering is the 50th most popular major in the country with 21,388 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, civil engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $63,364 and had an average of $24,364 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 238 colleges that offered a degree in civil engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great civil 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 civil engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 238 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 49 students in 2020-2021.
Duke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $371 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, 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. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Duke
Out of the 238 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 176 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,233 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 86%.
Full Stanford University Civil Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 72 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $245 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Civil Engineering at Northwestern
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 47 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $2,958 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Princeton University.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Princeton
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 45 diplomas to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2020-2021.
MIT also took the #2 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $5,193 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full MIT Civil Engineering Report
University of Florida came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 244 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UF has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $65 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UF.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Florida
Rice University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,443 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rice University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Civil Engineering at Rice
With a ranking of #8, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Johns Hopkins University is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 43 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Johns Hopkins has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,084 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Johns Hopkins
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 98 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M also took the #22 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $2,670 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Vanderbilt University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Vanderbilt also did well on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt is $3,176 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Vanderbilt Civil Engineering Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 157 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison is also in the top of our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $3,981 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 403 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $4,858 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a ranking of #13, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 273 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue also claimed a top spot on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,995 for civil eng 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 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%.
Full Purdue Civil Engineering Report
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Columbia is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 147 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Columbia has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $9,873 for Civil 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Civil Engineering Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 320 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $5,194 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UW Seattle Civil Engineering Report
With a ranking of #16, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell also took the #14 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $5,244 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Cornell University
With a ranking of #17, Tufts University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 40 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Tufts is in the top on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Tufts is $8,122 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at Tufts
University of California - Berkeley ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 294 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley also took the #11 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,450 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at UC Berkeley
With a ranking of #19, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 160 diplomas to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2020-2021.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $9,037 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UCLA Civil Engineering Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 61 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Virginia has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,476 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Virginia.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Virginia - Main Campus
With a ranking of #21, North Carolina State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Carolina State University is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 223 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, NC State is in the top on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $7,283 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend North Carolina State University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, 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%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at North Carolina State University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 97 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, UMN Twin Cities is in the top on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,698 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 93%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 243 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,006 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at UC Davis
With a ranking of #24, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this large public school handed out 206 diplomas to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2020-2021.
Georgia Tech also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is $8,818 for civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech
University of California - San Diego came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 192 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at UCSD
