2026 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in Colorado
[Environmental Engineering](/majors/engineering/environmental-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for environmental engineering students.
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2026 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in Colorado
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in environmental engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools
Leading the list is Metropolitan State College Of Denver, our #1 best value for environmental engineering in Colorado. Metropolitan State College Of Denver is a very large public school located in the city of Denver. In-state tuition and fees average $11,124, with out-of-state students paying around $30,684. Students borrow a median of $27,484 to complete the environmental engineering program here. Early-career environmental engineering graduates make about $44,861. Set against $27,484 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 99%.
Colorado State University Fort Collins came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value environmental engineering schools. Colorado State University Fort Collins is a very large public school located in the city of Fort Collins. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,373, while out-of-state students pay about $35,061. Typical student debt for environmental engineering graduates is $27,500. Soon after graduation, environmental engineering degree recipients from Colorado State University Fort Collins generally make around $66,109. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 88%.
University Of Colorado Boulder came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value environmental engineering schools. Set in the city of Boulder, University Of Colorado Boulder is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $15,214, while out-of-state students pay about $42,970. Typical student debt for environmental engineering graduates is $20,836. Early-career environmental engineering graduates make about $63,049. Set against $20,836 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 78%.
Students looking for strong value in environmental engineering will find it at Colorado School Of Mines, which ranked #4. Located in the suburb of Golden, Colorado School Of Mines is a moderately-sized public university. In-state tuition and fees average $21,914, compared with $45,824 for out-of-state students. Environmental Engineering graduates carry a median of $23,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, environmental engineering degree recipients from Colorado School Of Mines generally make around $69,102. Set against $23,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 61% of applicants are accepted.
More Environmental Engineering Rankings
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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 · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.
