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2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

9 Ranked Colleges
443 Degrees Awarded
$19,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor's in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Civil Engineering is the 45th most popular major in the country with 21,561 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, civil engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $60,122 and had an average of $23,807 in loans still to pay off.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 645 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,907 and $26,573 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 443 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in civil engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent civil engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the civil engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Civil Engineering Schools

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 Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania 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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

#1

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lafayette College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Lafayette is a small school located in Easton, Pennsylvania that handed out 34 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lafayette has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $6,934 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lafayette College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Lafayette

#2

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $12,542 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University

#3

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Lehigh also took the #5 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lehigh University is $14,080 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Lehigh

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a large public school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 64 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt also took the #6 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pitt is $20,075 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, 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 93%.

Full Pitt Civil Engineering Report

#5

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bucknell University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Bucknell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Bucknell is $22,342 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree 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 92%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Bucknell University

#6

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #6, Temple University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Temple University is a large public school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 80 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Temple has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Temple is $18,315 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree 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 87%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Temple University

#7

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania

Villanova University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Villanova University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It awarded 51 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Villanova, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Villanova is $22,517 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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 96%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Villanova

#8

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Drexel University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Drexel also took the #7 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Drexel is $25,234 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Drexel

#9

Widener University

Chester, Pennsylvania

Widener University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Widener is located in Chester, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

Widener not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Widener University is $31,431 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Widener Civil Engineering Report

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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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