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2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region

12 Ranked Colleges
884 Degrees Awarded
$18,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.

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 Plains States region, there were 884 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $66,793 and $23,617 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in chemical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great chemical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the chemical engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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The chem eng school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region”.

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

Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering in the Plains States Region

1
UND crest
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Dakota. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region list. University of North Dakota is a fairly large public school situated in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It awarded 45 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

UND also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $16,966 for plains states region chem eng students per year to attend UND.

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%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of North Dakota

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region. Iowa State is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 136 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region chem eng students list, Iowa State has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $16,002 for Plains States Region Chem Eng students per year to attend Iowa State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Iowa State

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Rapid City, South Dakota, this small public school awarded 42 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

SD Mines did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $19,919 for plains states region chem eng students per year to attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

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 South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Chemical Engineering Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region. This medium-sized school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 54 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Duluth, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMN Duluth is $18,505 for plains states region chem eng students.

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 more about Chemical Engineering at UMN Duluth

5
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kansas State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region list. K -State is a public institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

K -State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for K -State is $18,433 for Plains States Region Chem Eng students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full Kansas State University Chemical Engineering Report

6

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 137 students in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities also took the #2 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,878 for plains states region chem eng students per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

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 1.7% 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 Chemical Engineering at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

7

University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, this large public school handed out 37 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

UNL also took the #8 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNL is $17,013 for plains states region chem eng students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national 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 Chemical Engineering at UNL

8
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

With a ranking of #8, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region list. This large school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 69 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

KU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for KU is $20,257 for Plains States Region Chem Eng students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of Kansas

9

Missouri University of Science and Technology ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region 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 120 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

Missouri University of Science and Technology also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Missouri University of Science and Technology is $12,964 for Plains States Region Chem Eng students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Chemical Engineering Report

10

University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.

Mizzou also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Mizzou is $16,559 for plains states region chem eng students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Mizzou

11
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

With a ranking of #11, University of Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region list. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 51 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $19,401 for Plains States Region Chem Eng students per year to attend Iowa.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Iowa Chemical Engineering Report

12

Washington University in St Louis came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 85 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region chem eng students list, WUSTL has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington University in St Louis is $26,921 for plains states region chem eng students.

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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St Louis

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