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2023 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $48-$75k)

152 Ranked Colleges
9,018 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 152 colleges that offered 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 $48-$75k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $48-$75k)

1
Olin College crest
Olin College
Needham, Massachusetts

Out of the 152 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Olin College landed the #1 spot on the list. Olin College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Needham, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees 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 $14,300 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Olin College General Engineering Report

2
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Dartmouth College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Dartmouth College is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Hanover, New Hampshire. It awarded 153 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dartmouth, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dartmouth College is $12,172 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Engineering at Dartmouth

3
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 152 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and 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. It costs about $5,849 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern University.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on General Engineering at Northwestern University

4
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

Out of the 152 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brown University landed the #4 spot on the list. Brown is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 142 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Brown also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,219 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Brown.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about General Engineering at Brown University

5
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $7,694 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 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%.

Full Vanderbilt University General Engineering Report

6
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

With a ranking of #6, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Johns Hopkins not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins University is $8,457 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 General Engineering at Johns Hopkins University

7
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 96 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Purdue also took the #15 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,450 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.

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 General Engineering Report

8

With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 64 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $10,364 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 University of Wisconsin - Madison

9

University of California - Davis landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. 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 $14,193 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Engineering at UC Davis

10
Harvey Mudd College crest
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California

With a ranking of #10, Harvey Mudd College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Harvey Mudd College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 58 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, Harvey Mudd College has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvey Mudd College is $18,077 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Harvey Mudd College General Engineering Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $13,423 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about General Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

12

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k 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 $12,644 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

The low undergrad 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%. 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 UCLA General Engineering Report

13
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Carnegie Mellon University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 35 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $21,526 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Carnegie Mellon.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.

Full Carnegie Mellon University General Engineering Report

14

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIUC has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $11,505 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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 UIUC

15
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

With a ranking of #15, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 13 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Cornell is in the top 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 Cornell University is $9,785 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cornell General Engineering Report

16
WVU crest
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia

West Virginia University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. WVU is located in Morgantown, West Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

WVU excels when it comes to engineering quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for West Virginia University is $13,077 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Engineering at WVU

17

With a ranking of #17, Austin Community College District did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Austin Community College District is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 85 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $9,178 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Austin Community College District.

Read full report on General Engineering at Austin Community College District

18

University of Maryland - College Park ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 381 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

UMCP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMCP is $17,360 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.8% 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 UMCP

19

Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 174 students in 2020-2021.

ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for ASU - Tempe is $15,561 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on General Engineering at ASU - Tempe

20

University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UNL is a public institution located in Lincoln, Nebraska. The school has a large population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, UNL has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNL is $15,394 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at UNL

21

California State University - Fresno ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $8,030 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, 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 87%.

Read more about General Engineering at California State University - Fresno

22
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Swarthmore College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 23 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Swarthmore is in the top on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Swarthmore is $11,521 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on General Engineering at Swarthmore College

23
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

With a ranking of #23, North Carolina State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 52 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students 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 $14,424 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full North Carolina State University General Engineering Report

24
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northeastern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 320 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Northeastern also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern is $18,389 for engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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%.

Read more about General Engineering at Northeastern

25

California State University - Long Beach landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,189 for Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSULB.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Engineering at California State University - Long Beach

Notes and References

References

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