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2023 Best Value Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $0-$30k)

283 Ranked Colleges
28,166 Degrees Awarded
$4,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 28,166 people earned their degree in electrical engineering, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 283 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent electrical engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the electrical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Electrical Engineering Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $0-$30k)

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Out of the 283 schools in the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 119 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.

Duke also took the #8 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $371 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 full report on Electrical Engineering at Duke

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 283 schools in the Best Value EE 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 school located in Stanford, California that handed out 259 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $1,233 for EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at Stanford

3
MIT crest
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 173 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our ee students whose families make $0-$30k list, MIT has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,193 for EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend MIT.

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 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

4
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 217 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $2,084 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Johns Hopkins University.

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. 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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Johns Hopkins Electrical Engineering Report

5
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 84 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Princeton also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $2,958 for EE students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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.

Full Princeton University Electrical Engineering Report

6
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 76 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $245 for EE students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Northwestern University Electrical Engineering Report

7
Olin College crest
Olin College
Needham, Massachusetts

Olin College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Olin College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Needham, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Olin College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $2,008 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Olin College.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Olin College Electrical Engineering Report

8

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 142 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $2,670 for ee 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 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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

9
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Rice University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s EE degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.

Rice not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $4,443 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Rice University Electrical Engineering Report

10
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Pennsylvania is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 116 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for ee 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 full report on Electrical Engineering at UPenn

11
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

Washington University in St Louis landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 82 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our ee students whose families make $0-$30k list, WUSTL has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,556 for EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WUSTL.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Washington University in St Louis Electrical Engineering Report

12
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 37 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Vanderbilt is in the top on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $3,176 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full Vanderbilt University Electrical Engineering Report

13
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 336 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $65 for EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UF.

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 97%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at University of Florida

14

University of California - Berkeley landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s EE degrees to 729 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,450 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 Electrical Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

15

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 227 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $3,981 for EE students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full UW - Madison Electrical Engineering Report

16
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cornell University is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 264 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $5,244 for EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell University.

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 undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full Cornell University Electrical Engineering Report

17
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 366 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,995 for EE 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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Purdue

18

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 463 degrees to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $4,858 for EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Electrical Engineering Report

19

With a ranking of #19, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 360 diplomas to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.

UCLA also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $9,037 for EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Electrical Engineering Report

20

Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 232 degrees to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our ee students whose families make $0-$30k list, Columbia has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $9,873 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%. 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 full report on Electrical Engineering at Columbia University in the City of New York

21
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 46 diplomas to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Tufts also did well on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts is $8,122 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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%. 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.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Tufts University

22

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s EE degrees to 373 students in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle also claimed a top spot on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $5,194 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Electrical Engineering Report

23

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Georgia Tech is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 589 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Georgia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $8,818 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Electrical Engineering Report

24

University of Maryland - College Park ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Maryland - College Park is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 186 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, UMCP is in the top on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Maryland - College Park is $6,067 for ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Maryland - College Park Electrical Engineering Report

25

With a ranking of #25, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 289 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD also took the #20 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for EE 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 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Electrical Engineering Report

Rest of the Best 43 in Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 43 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
27
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
28
29
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
30
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
31
32
CCNY crest
The City College of New York
New York, New York
33
34
35
36
37
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
38
39
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41
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
42
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
43
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Notes and References

References

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