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2023 Best Value Colleges for Systems Engineering (Income $48-$75k)

59 Ranked Colleges
3,904 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

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 Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Systems Engineering is the 160th most popular major in the country with 3,904 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, systems engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $89,736 and had an average of $21,799 in loans still to pay off.

For this year’s “Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 59 colleges that offer a degree in systems engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality systems 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 systems 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 Systems Engineering Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
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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 Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Systems Engineering (Income $48-$75k)

1
MIT crest
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. MIT is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 208 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

MIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $2,834 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full MIT Systems Engineering Report

2
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 206 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

Johns Hopkins not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $8,457 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 full report on Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins

3
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s systems engineering degrees to 285 students in 2020-2021.

UF also made our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $8,394 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Florida.

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 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 Systems Engineering at University of Florida

4
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 54 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,149 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Washington University in St Louis.

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 1.1% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Washington University in St Louis Systems Engineering Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 89 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $10,481 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full U-M Systems Engineering Report

6
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

With a ranking of #6, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 93 diplomas to qualified ’s systems engineering students in 2020-2021.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Cornell University is $9,785 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Systems Engineering at Cornell University

7
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s systems engineering degrees to 81 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $12,020 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Systems Engineering at University of Pennsylvania

8
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. University of Virginia - Main Campus is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 167 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, University of Virginia has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus is $16,019 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Systems Engineering at University of Virginia - Main Campus

9

With a ranking of #9, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 77 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC also took the #11 spot in our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,505 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UIUC.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Systems Engineering Report

10

With a ranking of #10, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

UCSD also made our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,310 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Systems Engineering at University of California - San Diego

11

Missouri University of Science and Technology ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Missouri University of Science and Technology is located in Rolla, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 75 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

Missouri University of Science and Technology also made our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for Missouri University of Science and Technology is $11,656 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Systems Engineering Report

12

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s systems engineering degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $10,364 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at UW - Madison

13
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Oakland University is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 11 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $12,008 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Oakland.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 more about Systems Engineering at Oakland

14

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, Georgia Tech has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgia Tech is $15,415 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech

15
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Arizona also took the #19 spot in our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $13,644 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Systems Engineering Report

16

University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. UM Dearborn is a medium-sized school located in Dearborn, Michigan that handed out 19 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend UM Dearborn is $12,398 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 University of Michigan - Dearborn Systems Engineering Report

17
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #17, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 28 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

USC also took the #9 spot in our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $22,826 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Systems Engineering at USC

18

Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 8 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $15,561 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full ASU - Tempe Systems Engineering Report

19
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

With a ranking of #19, Florida State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 14 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $11,506 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Florida State.

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 95%.

Full Florida State University Systems Engineering Report

20

Iowa State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s systems engineering degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,641 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Iowa State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 89%.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at Iowa State University

21

With a ranking of #21, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UT Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 57 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for UT Dallas is $14,583 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Read full report on Systems Engineering at UT Dallas

22

With a ranking of #22, Colorado State University - Fort Collins did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Colorado State is a public institution located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Colorado State is $15,086 for systems engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Systems Engineering at Colorado State

23
GWU crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia

George Washington University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. George Washington University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 122 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

GWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Systems Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for GWU is $21,174 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full GWU Systems Engineering Report

24
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

University of Houston came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s systems engineering degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UH is $13,382 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Systems Engineering at UH

25
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Systems Engineering Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 84 diplomas to qualified ’s systems engineering students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $18,389 for Systems Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northeastern University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Northeastern Systems Engineering Report

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