2023 Best Value Colleges for Operations Research (With Aid)
17
Ranked Colleges
1,698
Degrees Awarded
$24,000
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 1,698 people earned their degree in operations research, making the major the 203rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, operations research graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $84,787 and had an average of $14,538 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 17 colleges that offered a degree in operations research. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent operations research 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 operations research 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 Operations Research 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 Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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 Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid.
Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Operations Research (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 79 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
Princeton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $9,836 for Operations Research students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Operations Research at Princeton
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at MIT, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,407 for operations research students with aid per year to attend MIT.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Operations Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 399 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $22,823 for operations research students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Operations Research at Columbia
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 192 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $16,032 for operations research students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Operations Research at UC Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
Georgia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Georgia Tech is $14,974 for Operations Research students with aid.
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 Operations Research Report
North Carolina State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. NC State is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
NC State also made our “Best Operations Research Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina State University is $16,411 for operations research students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Operations Research at NC State
With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 46 diplomas to qualified ’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
UIUC also took the #13 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,321 for Operations Research students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 more about Operations Research at UIUC
Rice University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
Rice did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $16,076 for operations research students with aid.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Rice Operations Research Report
Cornell University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 231 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell also took the #5 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $37,042 for Operations Research students with aid per year to attend Cornell University.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
Read full report on Operations Research at Cornell University
With a ranking of #10, Kansas State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Kansas State University is a large public school situated in Manhattan, Kansas. It awarded 4 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at K -State, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,433 for Operations Research students with aid per year to attend K -State.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Operations Research at Kansas State University
With a ranking of #11, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Carnegie Mellon is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
Carnegie Mellon also took the #6 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $36,775 for Operations Research students with aid.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon University
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois Tech also took the #16 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $23,772 for Operations Research students with aid.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
Read more about Operations Research at Illinois Tech
Case Western Reserve University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 23 degrees to qualified ’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
Case Western did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. It costs about $34,214 for operations research students with aid per year to attend Case Western.
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 full report on Operations Research at Case Western
Florida Institute of Technology came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Melbourne, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
Florida Tech also took the #15 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Florida Tech is $31,009 for operations research students with aid.
Read full report on Operations Research at Florida Institute of Technology
Southern Methodist University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Operations Research Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Dallas, Texas, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 43 degrees to qualified ’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
SMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. It costs about $38,208 for operations research students with aid per year to attend Southern Methodist University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Operations Research at SMU
