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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

11 Ranked Colleges
269 Degrees Awarded
$10,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 2,802 people earned their degree in environmental engineering, making the major the 166th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, environmental engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,600 and had an average of $23,573 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 433 environmental engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,000 and $21,495 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 269 environmental engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in environmental engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent environmental 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 environmental 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern also made our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $1,866 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a 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.

Full Northwestern University Environmental Engineering Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $3,166 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 more about Environmental Engineering at U-M

#3

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Notre Dame has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,498 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Notre Dame.

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. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 97%.

Full Notre Dame Environmental Engineering Report

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 42 degrees to qualified bachelors’s environmental engineering students in 2019-2020.

Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,483 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Environmental Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan Technological University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Houghton, Michigan, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan Tech has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,295 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan Tech.

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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Environmental Engineering at Michigan Tech

With a ranking of #6, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $8,194 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, 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 full report on Environmental Engineering at Ohio State

#7

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Platteville came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized school located in Platteville, Wisconsin that handed out 26 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW - Platteville has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,117 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Platteville.

Read full report on Environmental Engineering at UW - Platteville

#8

Marquette University

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
#6 in overall quality

Marquette University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Marquette also took the #6 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Marquette University is $19,169 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full Marquette Environmental Engineering Report

#9 in overall quality

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this large public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s environmental engineering students in 2019-2020.

UC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,078 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Environmental Engineering at UC

#10

University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio
#10 in overall quality

University of Toledo ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Toledo is a public institution located in Toledo, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Toledo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,516 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Toledo.

Full University of Toledo Environmental Engineering Report

#11

Indiana Institute of Technology

Fort Wayne, Indiana
#11 in overall quality

Indiana Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Indiana Tech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Indiana Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $19,286 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Indiana Tech.

Full Indiana Institute of Technology Environmental 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.

Credits

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