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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

13 Ranked Colleges
486 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

General Engineering is the 83rd most popular major in the country with 9,411 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,438 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 486 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree 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.

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.

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 a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern University 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.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $3,995 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Read full report on General Engineering at Northwestern

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan Technological University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school situated in Houghton, Michigan. It awarded 3 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan Tech also took the #7 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan Technological University is $9,049 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Read more about General Engineering at Michigan Tech

#3

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Michigan State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 125 students in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $15,197 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Engineering at Michigan State

#4

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern Indiana. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Southern Indiana is a fairly large school located in Evansville, Indiana that handed out 27 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

USI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend USI is $9,842 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full USI General Engineering Report

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Case Western Reserve University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Case Western is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 1 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Case Western has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Case Western Reserve University is $19,034 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, 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 full report on General Engineering at Case Western

#6

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $14,526 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Engineering at Western Illinois University

#7

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Bourbonnais, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene University is $15,390 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Olivet Nazarene

#8

Hope College

Holland, Michigan
#3 in overall quality

Hope College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Hope is a small school located in Holland, Michigan that handed out 57 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Hope did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Hope is $17,573 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Engineering at Hope

#9 in overall quality

Miami University - Oxford ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school situated in Oxford, Ohio. It awarded 9 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Miami University - Oxford also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $17,692 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Miami University - Oxford.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Engineering at Miami University - Oxford

#10

Milwaukee School of Engineering

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
#5 in overall quality

Milwaukee School of Engineering did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSOE, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MSOE is $16,882 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering

#11

Andrews University

Berrien Springs, Michigan
#11 in overall quality

Andrews University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Andrews not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $20,330 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Andrews University.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at Andrews University

#13 in overall quality

University of Akron Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Akron Main Campus is a public institution located in Akron, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Akron Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $15,803 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full University of Akron Main Campus General Engineering Report

#13

Calvin University

Grand Rapids, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

Calvin University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Calvin has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $21,920 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Calvin.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Calvin General 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

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Rémi Kaupp.

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