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2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

7 Ranked Colleges
5,204 Degrees Awarded
$15,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

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 Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Engineering is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 7th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 198,468 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,653 and had an average of $23,855 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 5,204 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,411 and $23,894 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent 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 engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

1
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 749 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia - Main Campus is $12,476 for virginia engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Engineering Report

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 2,227 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech also made our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $11,934 for virginia engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.

Read more about Engineering at Virginia Tech

3
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Old Dominion University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Old Dominion is a large public school situated in Norfolk, Virginia. It awarded 530 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Old Dominion, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Old Dominion is $13,335 for virginia engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Engineering at Old Dominion

4
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our virginia engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, JMU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $14,288 for virginia engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend JMU.

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 2.0% 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 Engineering at James Madison University

5
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #5 spot on the list. GMU is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 510 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

GMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend GMU is $14,781 for virginia engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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 GMU Engineering Report

6

Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 326 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

VCU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $14,507 for Virginia Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend VCU.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University

7
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Liberty University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $29,786 for virginia engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Engineering at Liberty University

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