2023 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
354
Ranked Colleges
198,468
Degrees Awarded
$4,100
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
With 198,468 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, engineering is the 7th most popular major in the United States. 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.
This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 354 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Engineering Schools
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 Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.
Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 689 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $-927 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Duke University. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 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%.
Full Duke Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,143 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, MIT has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MIT is $-2,603 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Read more about Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 1,121 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also made our “Best Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,581 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 Stanford Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 292 students in 2020-2021.
Harvard also took the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,396 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Harvard University.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Harvard Engineering Report
Out of the 354 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #5 spot on the list. Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 331 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Princeton, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $4,502 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Read full report on Engineering at Princeton University
Dartmouth College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Hanover, New Hampshire, and it awarded 282 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Dartmouth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Dartmouth College is $8,718 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Full Dartmouth Engineering Report
With a ranking of #7, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 813 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $917 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern University.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
Full Northwestern University Engineering Report
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 1,508 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia also made our “Best Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $4,699 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 Engineering at Columbia
With a ranking of #9, Olin College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Olin College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Needham, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 76 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olin College, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olin College is $859 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 full report on Engineering at Olin College
University of Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UPenn is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 610 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
UPenn also made our “Best Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $1,938 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Engineering at University of Pennsylvania
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,789 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $5,670 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
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 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 Engineering at U-M
University of Florida came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 2,403 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $2,857 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Engineering at University of Florida
With a ranking of #13, Brown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 187 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Brown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Brown University is $2,842 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Full Brown University Engineering Report
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 658 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
WUSTL also took the #16 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,446 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend WUSTL.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Engineering at Washington University in St Louis
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 3,177 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Purdue is also in the top of our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,853 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
Read more about Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #16, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,430 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Cornell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $5,133 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cornell.
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%. 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. 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 Engineering at Cornell University
Vanderbilt University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 296 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Vanderbilt is also in the top of our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $4,652 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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%.
Read full report on Engineering at Vanderbilt University
Johns Hopkins University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Johns Hopkins University is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 1,317 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Johns Hopkins has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins is $4,859 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Engineering at Johns Hopkins University
With a ranking of #19, Rice University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 355 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Rice has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $1,340 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. 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%.
Read more about Engineering at Rice
With a ranking of #20, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 1,573 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison excels when it comes to engineering quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,788 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #21, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 1,982 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 Engineering at University of California - Berkeley
Tufts University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Medford, Massachusetts, and it awarded 315 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Tufts excels when it comes to engineering quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts University is $7,987 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Engineering at Tufts University
With a ranking of #23, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Chapel Hill is also in the top of our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $5,729 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, 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.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Engineering Report
With a ranking of #24, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 1,594 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Seattle is also in the top of our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $6,399 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering at UW Seattle
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,342 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $9,891 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Engineering at UCLA