2023 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
13
Ranked Colleges
456
Degrees Awarded
$9,100
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 2,759 people earned their degree in environmental engineering, making the major the 173rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, environmental engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $57,215 and had an average of $24,744 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 456 environmental engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,618 and $22,728 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in environmental engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great environmental engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the environmental engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. 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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 76 degrees to qualified ’s environmental engineering students in 2020-2021.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $2,670 for Great Lakes Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Environmental Engineering at U-M
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 12 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also made our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $245 for great lakes region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern University.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Environmental Engineering at Northwestern
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 66 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $5,995 for Great Lakes Region Environmental Engineering 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 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%.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Environmental Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 41 diplomas to qualified ’s environmental engineering students in 2020-2021.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $4,858 for great lakes region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Environmental Engineering at UIUC
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan Technological University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan Technological University is a medium-sized public school situated in Houghton, Michigan. It awarded 37 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan Tech, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan Technological University is $5,520 for Great Lakes Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Environmental Engineering at Michigan Tech
Michigan State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s environmental engineering degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $6,927 for Great Lakes Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
Read full report on Environmental Engineering at Michigan State
With a ranking of #7, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s environmental engineering degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also took the #10 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $7,068 for great lakes region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Environmental Engineering at Ohio State
University of Notre Dame came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and it awarded 17 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Notre Dame also took the #4 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Notre Dame is $9,872 for Great Lakes Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Read more about Environmental Engineering at University of Notre Dame
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s environmental engineering degrees to 42 students in 2020-2021.
UC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,061 for great lakes region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Environmental Engineering at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Platteville, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s environmental engineering degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.
UW - Platteville also made our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $8,887 for Great Lakes Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Environmental Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Platteville
With a ranking of #11, Marquette University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Marquette University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 11 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Marquette also made our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Marquette is $18,589 for Great Lakes Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Marquette University Environmental Engineering Report
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois Institute of Technology is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s environmental engineering degrees to qualified students.
Illinois Tech also made our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Tech is $18,515 for Great Lakes Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Illinois Tech Environmental Engineering Report
University of Toledo came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Toledo is a public institution located in Toledo, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Toledo has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Toledo is $13,803 for great lakes region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full University of Toledo 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
- *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
