2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
152
Ranked Colleges
9,018
Degrees Awarded
$6,600
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 9,018 people earned their degree in general engineering, making the major the 96th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 152 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general 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 general engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k”.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 152 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brown University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 142 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Brown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Brown is $1,468 for engineering 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 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Brown General Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Olin College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Needham, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 33 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Olin College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Olin College is $2,008 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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.
Read more about General Engineering at Olin College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 64 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $3,981 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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%.
Read more about General Engineering at UW - Madison
Out of the 152 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 6 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $245 for engineering 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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Engineering at Northwestern
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 6 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,084 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.
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%. 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 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.
Read full report on General Engineering at Johns Hopkins
Vanderbilt University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 10 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best General Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $3,176 for engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Engineering at Vanderbilt University
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 96 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,995 for engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 General Engineering Report
With a ranking of #8, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMCP is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 381 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMCP, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,067 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMCP.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Engineering at UMCP
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $4,858 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national 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.
Read more about General Engineering at UIUC
University of California - Davis ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 123 students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also made our “Best General Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 93%.
Full University of California - Davis General Engineering Report
Dartmouth College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Hanover, New Hampshire is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 153 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Dartmouth has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dartmouth College is $6,034 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about General Engineering at Dartmouth
University of California - Berkeley came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 5 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,450 for Engineering 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Berkeley General Engineering Report
Carnegie Mellon University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon University is $16,456 for engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on General Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 58 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,037 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Engineering at UCLA
Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school handed out 174 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $8,969 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe
Swarthmore College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Swarthmore College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. It awarded 23 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Swarthmore also did well on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Swarthmore College is $4,594 for 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Engineering at Swarthmore
With a ranking of #17, North Carolina State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. NC State is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 52 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NC State, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina State University is $7,283 for engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Engineering at North Carolina State University
Northeastern University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 320 students in 2020-2021.
Northeastern also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern University is $10,240 for 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%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Northeastern University General Engineering Report
Tufts University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tufts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Tufts is $8,122 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 General Engineering at Tufts
Michigan State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 103 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $6,927 for engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Engineering at Michigan State
Austin Community College District came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Austin Community College District is $3,264 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on General Engineering at Austin Community College District
Smith College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Northampton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 11 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $9,215 for engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Smith College.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Smith General Engineering Report
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 13 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Cornell also did well on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $5,244 for Engineering 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 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%. 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.
Read more about General Engineering at Cornell
Lafayette College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Easton, Pennsylvania. It awarded 19 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Lafayette is $11,728 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Lafayette General Engineering Report
University of Georgia landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Georgia is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 24 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Georgia is $8,303 for Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 94%.
Read full report on General Engineering at UGA
