2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools
17
Ranked Colleges
1,698
Degrees Awarded
$24,000
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Operations Research Schools” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Operations Research is the 203rd most popular major in the country with 1,698 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, operations research graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $84,787 and had an average of $14,538 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Operations Research Schools” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in operations research. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality operations research programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the operations research program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Operations Research Schools
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 Operations Research Schools” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Operations Research Schools
The colleges and universities below are the best for operations research students.
Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Operations Research
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Operations Research Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Melbourne, Florida, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 20 degrees to qualified ’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
Florida Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Florida Institute of Technology is $31,009 for Operations Research students.
Full Florida Institute of Technology Operations Research Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Operations Research Schools. Georgia Tech is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
Georgia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Tech is $14,974 for operations research students.
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 0.9% 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%.
Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Operations Research Report
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Operations Research Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, North Carolina State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.
NC State also made our “Best Operations Research Schools” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $16,411 for operations research students per year to attend North Carolina State University.
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 2.0% 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 North Carolina State University Operations Research Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kansas State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools list. Manhattan, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at K -State, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kansas State University is $18,433 for Operations Research students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Operations Research at K -State
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Operations Research Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 46 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. It costs about $14,321 for Operations Research students per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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 2.3% 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%.
Read more about Operations Research at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a ranking of #6, Northeastern University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 32 degrees to qualified ’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
Northeastern also made our “Best Operations Research Schools” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $29,714 for Operations Research students per year to attend Northeastern.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Operations Research at Northeastern University
With a ranking of #7, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 192 students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $16,032 for Operations Research students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 96%.
Full UC Berkeley Operations Research Report
Cornell University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Operations Research Schools list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 231 degrees to qualified ’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. It costs about $37,042 for operations research students per year to attend Cornell.
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. 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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cornell Operations Research Report
Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Operations Research Schools list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our operations research students list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Institute of Technology is $23,772 for Operations Research 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Operations Research at Illinois Tech
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools ranking. Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carnegie Mellon, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon University is $36,775 for Operations Research students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon University
Rice University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools ranking. Rice is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
Rice also took the #10 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice University is $16,076 for Operations Research students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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.
Read full report on Operations Research at Rice University
Case Western Reserve University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Operations Research Schools list. Case Western Reserve University is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
Case Western not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Case Western is $34,214 for Operations Research 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Operations Research at Case Western Reserve University
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Operations Research Schools ranking, coming in at #13. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 399 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. It costs about $22,823 for Operations Research students per year to attend Columbia.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Full Columbia Operations Research Report
Princeton University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Operations Research Schools ranking. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 79 students in 2020-2021.
Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Operations Research Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $9,836 for operations research students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Operations Research at Princeton
Southern Methodist University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Operations Research Schools ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 43 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
SMU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Operations Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $38,208 for Operations Research students per year to attend Southern Methodist University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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 full report on Operations Research at SMU
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