2026 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in Wisconsin

[Civil Engineering](/majors/engineering/civil-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for civil engineering students.
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2026 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in Wisconsin
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in civil engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Civil Engineering Schools
Our analysis ranked University Of Wisconsin Platteville the best value for a degree in civil engineering in Wisconsin. Set in the town of Platteville, University Of Wisconsin Platteville is a moderately-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,644, with out-of-state students paying around $17,603. Typical student debt for civil engineering graduates is $23,522. Early-career civil engineering graduates make about $69,582. Set against $23,522 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value civil engineering schools. Set in the city of Milwaukee, University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $10,398 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $22,398. Civil Engineering graduates carry a median of $28,000 in student loans. Early-career civil engineering graduates make about $64,317. Set against $28,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 91% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #3 makes University Of Wisconsin Madison one of the best values for civil engineering. University Of Wisconsin Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison. Students from in state pay about $11,603 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $42,103. Typical student debt for civil engineering graduates is $23,250. Soon after graduation, civil engineering degree recipients from University Of Wisconsin Madison generally make around $78,253. Set against $23,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Wisconsin Madison admits about 45% of applicants.
A rank of #4 makes Milwaukee School Of Engineering one of the best values for civil engineering. Set in the city of Milwaukee, Milwaukee School Of Engineering is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $50,480. Typical student debt for civil engineering graduates is $27,667. Early-career civil engineering graduates make about $72,940. Set against $27,667 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 59% of applicants are accepted.
Marquette University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best value civil engineering schools. Marquette University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee. Students from in state pay about $51,170 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the civil engineering program here. Soon after graduation, civil engineering degree recipients from Marquette University generally make around $68,386. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 81%.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.