by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 IE Schools” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Industrial Engineering is the 87th most popular major in the country with 9,072 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, industrial engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,960 and had an average of $24,268 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value IE Schools” ranking analyzed 94 colleges that offered a degree in industrial engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent industrial 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 industrial engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value IE Schools” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value IE Schools.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value IE Schools list. SD Mines is a small school located in Rapid City, South Dakota that handed out 56 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is $19,919 for IE students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value IE Schools list. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is located in Fargo, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s ie degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $16,998 for ie students per year to attend North Dakota State University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full North Dakota State University Industrial Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value IE Schools. UPR Mayaguez is located in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 100 ’s ie degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez is $10,975 for IE students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Industrial Engineering at University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Out of the 94 schools in the Best Value IE Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Houston landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 92 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,721 for IE students per year to attend University of Houston.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Industrial Engineering at University of Houston
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value IE Schools. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 149 diplomas to qualified ’s ie students in 2020-2021.
Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $16,002 for IE students per year to attend Iowa State University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Industrial Engineering at Iowa State University
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ie degrees to 369 students in 2020-2021.
Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $13,377 for ie students per year to attend Purdue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Industrial Engineering Report
University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking, coming in at #7. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is located in Platteville, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s ie degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $14,565 for ie students.
Read more about Industrial Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Platteville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IE Schools ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 53 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,462 for IE students.
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking, coming in at #9. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $18,350 for IE students.
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 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%.
With a ranking of #10, North Carolina A & T State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value IE Schools list. NC A&T is located in Greensboro, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s ie degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend North Carolina A & T State University is $10,563 for ie students.
Read full report on Industrial Engineering at North Carolina A & T State University
Northern Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ie degrees to 70 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,956 for IE students per year to attend NIU.
Full Northern Illinois University Industrial Engineering Report
Wichita State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IE Schools ranking. This fairly large school is located in Wichita, Kansas, and it awarded 127 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend WSU is $14,859 for ie students.
Virginia Tech ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools list. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school handed out 243 diplomas to qualified ’s ie students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our ie students list, Virginia Tech has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $21,301 for IE students per year to attend Virginia Tech.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 92%.
With a ranking of #14, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2024 Best Value IE Schools list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 90 ’s ie degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $8,346 for ie students.
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 3.3% 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%.
Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking, coming in at #15. Texas Tech University is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 90 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $16,194 for ie students per year to attend Texas Tech University.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Central Florida landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking. University of Central Florida is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 222 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UCF is $8,618 for IE students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 430 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia Tech also made our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $14,974 for ie students per year to attend Georgia Tech.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Industrial Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
With a ranking of #18, Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well on the 2024 Best Value IE Schools list. Texas A&M Kingsville is a public institution located in Kingsville, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Kingsville is $13,027 for IE students.
Read more about Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Mississippi State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Mississippi State, Mississippi, and it awarded 79 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Mississippi State University is $16,122 for ie students.
Read more about Industrial Engineering at Mississippi State University
Louisiana Tech University landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking. Louisiana Tech is a fairly large public school situated in Ruston, Louisiana. It awarded 41 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $11,304 for ie students per year to attend Louisiana Tech.
Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 402 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $18,919 for IE students per year to attend Texas A&M University - College Station.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Texas A&M College Station Industrial Engineering Report
With a ranking of #22, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2024 Best Value IE Schools list. University of Oklahoma is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 85 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $21,122 for ie students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Industrial Engineering at University of Oklahoma
Youngstown State University landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking. Youngstown, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ie degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $12,225 for ie students per year to attend Youngstown State University.
Read more about Industrial Engineering at Youngstown State University
Kansas State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IE Schools ranking, coming in at #24. K -State is a large public school situated in Manhattan, Kansas. It awarded 60 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Kansas State University is $18,433 for IE students.
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 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%.
University of Michigan - Dearborn came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IE Schools ranking. Dearborn, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ie degrees to 75 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $12,855 for IE students per year to attend UM Dearborn.
The low undergrad 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 more about our data sources and methodologies
