2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k

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 a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2019-2020, 11,925 people earned their degree in general engineering, making the major the 78th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $66,152 and had an average of $20,077 in loans still to pay off.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 476 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,211 and $25,494 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 257 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 10 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.
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.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 10 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Swarthmore College landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Swarthmore, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $8,701 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Swarthmore.
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 student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lafayette College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k. Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Easton, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Lafayette also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Lafayette is $11,360 for Pennsylvania 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 87%. 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%. 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k. Carnegie Mellon is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Carnegie Mellon also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $13,782 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elizabethtown College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k. Elizabethtown College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Etown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $20,837 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Etown.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Geneva College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Geneva is located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 72 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Geneva also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $14,781 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Geneva.
Messiah University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Messiah is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Messiah not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Messiah is $21,802 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 86%.
Temple University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Temple is a large public school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 4 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Temple not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Temple University is $18,879 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Saint Francis University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Loretto, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
Saint Francis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Francis is $23,794 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Thomas Jefferson University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Thomas Jefferson University is a medium-sized school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 4 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Thomas Jefferson University also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Thomas Jefferson University is $20,167 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Read full report on General Engineering at Thomas Jefferson University
Drexel University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.
Drexel not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $27,057 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Drexel University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. 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 full report on General Engineering at Drexel University
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Best General Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania
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General Engineering students with family income $75-$110k in Pennsylvania
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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