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2023 Best Value Colleges for Engineering in Virginia (With Aid)

7 Ranked Colleges
5,204 Degrees Awarded
$21,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Engineering Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia 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 Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid.

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Engineering in Virginia (With Aid)

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

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 749 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia also took the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $22,006 for Virginia Engineering students with aid per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Engineering at University of Virginia

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,227 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $21,301 for Virginia Engineering students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Virginia Tech Engineering Report

3
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 76 students in 2020-2021.

JMU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $22,562 for Virginia Engineering students with aid per year to attend JMU.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Engineering at JMU

4
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Old Dominion University landed the #4 spot on the list. Old Dominion is a large school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 530 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Old Dominion not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $17,204 for Virginia Engineering students with aid per year to attend Old Dominion University.

Full Old Dominion University Engineering Report

5
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 510 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $19,551 for virginia engineering students with aid per year to attend GMU.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full GMU Engineering Report

6

Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 326 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

VCU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $20,490 for Virginia Engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at VCU

7
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Liberty University also took the #7 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $29,382 for virginia engineering students with aid.

Read more about Engineering at Liberty University

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