2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
General Engineering is the 83rd most popular major in the country with 9,411 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,839 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 81 colleges that offered a degree in general engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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More Ways to Rank General Engineering Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Olin College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Olin College is located in Needham, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 35 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Olin College also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Olin College is $845 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Brown University is a medium-sized school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 65 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Brown, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brown University is $201 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $1,866 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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. The 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.
Caltech also took the #11 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Institute of Technology is $5,456 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 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 California Institute of Technology
Out of the 81 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Johns Hopkins University landed the #5 spot on the list. Johns Hopkins University is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 2 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Johns Hopkins did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins is $3,526 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Cornell University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cornell has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,484 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell University.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Swarthmore College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Swarthmore also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,860 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Swarthmore.
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 86%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Harvey Mudd College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvey Mudd College, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,494 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harvey Mudd College.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The impressive 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.
With a ranking of #9, Tufts University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Tufts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $5,267 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tufts.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
With a ranking of #10, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 125 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan State has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,686 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, 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 91%.
With a ranking of #11, Trinity College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Trinity College is a small school located in Hartford, Connecticut that handed out 22 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Trinity Bantams did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,256 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Trinity Bantams.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #12, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 129 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,842 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Michigan Technological University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Houghton, Michigan, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,295 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan Tech.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
North Carolina State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Carolina State University is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 49 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend NC State is $7,285 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full North Carolina State University General Engineering Report
Smith College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northampton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 49 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Smith, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Smith is $6,075 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Lafayette College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lafayette College is a small school located in Easton, Pennsylvania that handed out 18 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Lafayette also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Lafayette is $6,934 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
McNeese State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lake Charles, Louisiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 94 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for McNeese is $11,892 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. ASU - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 192 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $7,044 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,364 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M College Station also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M College Station is $11,454 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Texas A&M College Station
College of Staten Island CUNY came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Staten Island, New York, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,109 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSI.
Read more about General Engineering at College of Staten Island CUNY
University of Southern Indiana ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern Indiana is a public institution located in Evansville, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,244 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern Indiana.
The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
University of Mississippi ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ole Miss is a public institution located in University, Mississippi. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Ole Miss is $9,455 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #24, University of North Carolina at Asheville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Carolina at Asheville is a small school located in Asheville, North Carolina that handed out 38 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UNCA is $8,063 for bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.
University of Virginia also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $8,882 for Bachelor’s Degree Engineering 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 low 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%.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of Virginia - Main Campus
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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
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Rémi Kaupp.
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