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2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid

158 Ranked Colleges
11,796 Degrees Awarded
$14,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 11,796 people earned their degree in general engineering, making the major the 79th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,873 and had an average of $20,557 in loans still to pay off.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 158 colleges that offer a degree in general engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general engineering programs and 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank General Engineering Schools

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (With Aid)

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 64 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,234 for engineering students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on General Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison

2
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 96 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our engineering students with aid list, Purdue has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,377 for Engineering students with aid.

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 University - Main Campus General Engineering Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Austin Community College District. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 85 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Austin Community College District is $7,224 for Engineering students with aid.

Full Austin Community College District General Engineering Report

4

Out of the 158 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 123 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,768 for Engineering students with aid per year to attend University of California - Davis.

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 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 more about General Engineering at University of California - Davis

5
Wake Technical Community College crest
Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wake Technical Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 133 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Wake Technical Community College is $6,767 for engineering students with aid.

Full Wake Technical Community College General Engineering Report

6

University of Maryland - College Park ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 381 students 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 $18,048 for engineering students with aid per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at UMCP

7

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $15,023 for Engineering students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on General Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

8
WVU crest
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia

West Virginia University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Morgantown, West Virginia, and it awarded 41 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, WVU is in the top on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend WVU is $13,355 for engineering students with aid.

Read more about General Engineering at WVU

9
Maritime crest
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #9, Massachusetts Maritime Academy did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.

Maritime also made our “Best General Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $21,146 for engineering students with aid per year to attend Maritime.

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 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%.

Read full report on General Engineering at Massachusetts Maritime Academy

10

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. 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 also took the #22 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,321 for engineering students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

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 full report on General Engineering at UIUC

11

With a ranking of #11, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 174 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $13,107 for engineering students with aid.

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

Read more about General Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe

12

California State University - Fresno landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 17 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $6,230 for Engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Fresno State General Engineering Report

13
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 52 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our engineering students with aid list, NC State has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina State University is $16,411 for engineering students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about General Engineering at North Carolina State University

14

University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. UNL is a large public school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 48 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UNL also took the #19 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,013 for engineering students with aid per year to attend UNL.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at UNL

15

University of California - Berkeley ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 5 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $16,032 for Engineering students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about General Engineering at UC Berkeley

16

California State University - Long Beach came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $10,054 for Engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Engineering at CSULB

17

Utah Valley University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Utah Valley University is a large public school situated in Orem, Utah. It awarded 20 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $9,955 for engineering students with aid per year to attend Utah Valley University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Engineering at UVU

18
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas

University of Arkansas did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. UARK is a public institution located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 106 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UARK also did well on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arkansas is $16,507 for engineering students with aid.

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 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at UARK

19
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 54 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $16,542 for Engineering students with aid per year to attend San Jose State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Engineering at San Jose State University

20
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire

Dartmouth College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hanover, New Hampshire. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 153 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Dartmouth also made our “Best General Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth is $32,410 for Engineering students with aid.

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. 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%.

Full Dartmouth General Engineering Report

21

University of Wisconsin - Platteville came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Platteville, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 47 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $14,565 for engineering students with aid.

Read full report on General Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

22
Monroe Community College crest
Monroe Community College
Rochester, New York

Monroe Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Rochester, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Monroe Community College is $6,891 for Engineering students with aid.

Full Monroe Community College General Engineering Report

23
Mississippi State crest
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, Mississippi

With a ranking of #23, Mississippi State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Mississippi State, Mississippi is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Mississippi State is also in the top of our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Mississippi State is $16,122 for Engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about General Engineering at Mississippi State

24

With a ranking of #24, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. The University of Texas at El Paso is a public institution located in El Paso, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at El Paso is $9,000 for engineering students with aid.

Read full report on General Engineering at UTEP

25

New Mexico State University - Main Campus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico that handed out 33 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend NMSU Main Campus is $10,428 for engineering students with aid.

Read more about General Engineering at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

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Notes and References

References

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