2023 Best Value Colleges for Nuclear Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
22
Ranked Colleges
864
Degrees Awarded
$9,700
Avg Net Price*
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 Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 864 people earned their degree in nuclear engineering, making the major the 253rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, nuclear engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $59,111 and had an average of $22,196 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 22 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in nuclear engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great nuclear engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the nuclear engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Nuclear Engineering Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. 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 Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 22 Best Value Colleges for Nuclear Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 22 ’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at MIT, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,193 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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 Nuclear Engineering at MIT
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 75 diplomas to qualified ’s nuclear engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $2,670 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 more about Nuclear Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #3 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 39 ’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $3,981 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Full UW - Madison Nuclear Engineering Report
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $65 for Nuclear Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Nuclear Engineering at University of Florida
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nuclear engineering degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $4,858 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Nuclear Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 45 ’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 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 more about Nuclear Engineering at University of California - Berkeley
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nuclear engineering degrees to 38 students in 2020-2021.
Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $5,995 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Nuclear Engineering at Purdue
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this large public school handed out 32 diplomas to qualified ’s nuclear engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgia Tech, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is $8,818 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Nuclear Engineering Report
North Carolina State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. NC State is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 40 ’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
NC State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina State University is $7,283 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full North Carolina State University Nuclear Engineering Report
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 101 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M College Station is $11,220 for Nuclear Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Texas A&M College Station Nuclear Engineering Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nuclear engineering degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also made our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $7,068 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Nuclear Engineering at Ohio State
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UT Knoxville is a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Knoxville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is $10,433 for Nuclear Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Nuclear Engineering Report
Virginia Tech ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nuclear engineering degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech also made our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $11,934 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Virginia Tech.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Nuclear Engineering at Virginia Tech
Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public institution located in Rolla, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Missouri University of Science and Technology also took the #15 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,356 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Nuclear Engineering Report
University of Idaho came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. U of I is located in Moscow, Idaho and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s nuclear engineering degrees to qualified students.
U of I not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $10,816 for nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend U of I.
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%.
Full U of I Nuclear Engineering Report
University of Utah came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Utah is a large school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 5 ’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
U of U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Utah is $10,431 for Nuclear Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 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%.
Read more about Nuclear Engineering at U of U
Kansas State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Kansas State University is a public institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, K -State has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Kansas State University is $13,436 for Nuclear Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Nuclear Engineering at Kansas State University
With a ranking of #18, Oregon State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oregon State University is a large school located in Corvallis, Oregon that handed out 48 ’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Oregon State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oregon State University is $15,242 for Nuclear Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, 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 85%.
Full Oregon State University Nuclear Engineering Report
Colorado School of Mines came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Mines is a medium-sized school located in Golden, Colorado that handed out 7 ’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our nuclear engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Mines has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mines is $16,977 for Nuclear Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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%.
Read more about Nuclear Engineering at Mines
With a ranking of #20, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. RPI is located in Troy, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s nuclear engineering degrees to qualified students.
RPI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for RPI is $22,878 for Nuclear Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 91%.
Full RPI Nuclear Engineering Report
