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2024 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region

17 Ranked Colleges
1,506 Degrees Awarded
$15,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 12,917 people earned their degree in chemical engineering, making the major the 70th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, chemical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $65,870 and had an average of $23,285 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 1,506 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $69,230 and $22,434 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer a degree in chemical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent chemical 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 chemical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Chemical Engineering Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region.

Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering in the Southwest Region

1
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 98 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

UH also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $13,721 for southwest region chem eng students per year to attend UH.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UH

2
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas Tech University. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region list. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 111 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas Tech, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $16,194 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students per year to attend Texas Tech.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%. 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 Texas Tech University Chemical Engineering Report

3
Lamar University crest
Lamar University
Beaumont, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lamar University. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region list. Lamar University is a public institution located in Beaumont, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 66 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Lamar University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Lamar University is $11,739 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Lamar University Chemical Engineering Report

4

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 69 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for OSU is $14,237 for southwest region chem eng students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full OSU Chemical Engineering Report

5

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Oklahoma is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 75 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Oklahoma also took the #9 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $21,122 for southwest region chem eng students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, 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 Chemical Engineering at University of Oklahoma

6

Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 192 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $13,107 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, 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 86%.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Chemical Engineering Report

7

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school handed out 276 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M College Station, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M College Station is $18,919 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Texas A&M University - College Station Chemical Engineering Report

8

University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #8. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 74 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region chem eng students list, UNM has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $14,424 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students per year to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus.

Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Chemical Engineering Report

9

New Mexico State University - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

NMSU Main Campus also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for NMSU Main Campus is $10,428 for southwest region chem eng students.

Full New Mexico State University - Main Campus Chemical Engineering Report

10

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 203 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $18,350 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students.

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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Chemical Engineering Report

11
PVAMU crest
Prairie View A & M University
Prairie View, Texas

With a ranking of #11, Prairie View A & M University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region list. PVAMU is a public institution located in Prairie View, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 54 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region chem eng students list, PVAMU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for PVAMU is $16,000 for southwest region chem eng students.

Full PVAMU Chemical Engineering Report

12
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

With a ranking of #12, University of Arizona did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region list. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 94 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $13,358 for southwest region chem eng students.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of Arizona

13

Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #13. Texas A&M Kingsville is a medium-sized school located in Kingsville, Texas that handed out 45 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

Texas A&M Kingsville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Kingsville is $13,027 for southwest region chem eng students.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University - Kingsville

14

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #14. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a small school located in Socorro, New Mexico that handed out 19 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at New Mexico Tech, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is $14,836 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 Chemical Engineering at New Mexico Tech

15

The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region chem eng students list, UTSA has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UTSA is $10,549 for southwest region chem eng students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Full The University of Texas at San Antonio Chemical Engineering Report

16
University of Tulsa crest
University of Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma

University of Tulsa came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Tulsa is a small school located in Tulsa, Oklahoma that handed out 35 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Tulsa also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for University of Tulsa is $24,232 for southwest region chem eng students.

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%.

Full University of Tulsa Chemical Engineering Report

17
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Rice University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 46 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

Rice did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $16,076 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students per year to attend Rice.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Rice University

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