College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

6 Ranked Colleges
519 Degrees Awarded
$12,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

General Engineering is the 79th most popular major in the country with 11,796 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.

Across the Plains States region, there were 519 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,243 and $17,663 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 6 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank General Engineering Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Engineering Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. 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 in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

1

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, this large public school handed out 48 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

UNL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $11,672 for plains states region engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNL.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about General Engineering at UNL

2
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 11 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $13,554 for plains states region engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Iowa.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa General Engineering Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Minnesota State Mankato is located in Mankato, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Minnesota State Mankato also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Minnesota State Mankato is $11,692 for plains states region engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at Minnesota State Mankato

4

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Missouri - Columbia is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mizzou is $11,005 for Plains States Region Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 University of Missouri - Columbia General Engineering Report

5
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, Missouri

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Louis University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 43 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, SLU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SLU is $15,136 for Plains States Region Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 full report on General Engineering at SLU

6
South Dakota State crest
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

South Dakota State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Brookings, South Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

South Dakota State also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State is $14,171 for plains states region engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full South Dakota State General Engineering Report

Switch to a Similar Major

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Architectural Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Architectural Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Ceramic Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Ceramic Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Civil Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Electrical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Engineering Physics
Best Value Colleges for Engineering Physics (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Environmental Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Environmental Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Mechanical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Mining Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Mining Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Petroleum Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Petroleum Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Construction Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Construction Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Manufacturing Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Manufacturing Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Geoscience Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Geoscience Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Best Value Colleges for Electrical and Computer Engineering. (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Agricultural Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Agricultural Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Biomedical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Biomedical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Chemical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Computer Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Computer Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Engineering Mechanics
Best Value Colleges for Engineering Mechanics (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Engineering Science
Best Value Colleges for Engineering Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Materials Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Metallurgical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Metallurgical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Nuclear Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Nuclear Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Systems Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Systems Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Industrial Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Industrial Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Operations Research
Best Value Colleges for Operations Research (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Biological Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Biological Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Other Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Other Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options