2026 Best Value Water Resources Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
[Water Resources Engineering](/majors/engineering/civil-engineering/water-resources-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 2 schools to find the best return on investment for water resources engineering students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Water Resources Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the water resources engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Water Resources Engineering Schools
University Of Idaho earned the #1 spot for value among water resources engineering schools in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in the town of Moscow, University Of Idaho is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,084, compared with $28,320 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $21,500 to complete the water resources engineering program here. Soon after graduation, water resources engineering degree recipients from University Of Idaho generally make around $68,885. Set against $21,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in water resources engineering will find it at Colorado State University Fort Collins, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State University Fort Collins is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,373, compared with $35,061 for out-of-state students. Water Resources Engineering graduates carry a median of $25,480 in student loans. Water Resources Engineering graduates of Colorado State University Fort Collins earn a median of $76,180 early in their careers. Set against $25,480 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Colorado State University Fort Collins admits about 88% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
