2026 Best Value Automation Engineer Technology/Technician Schools in Minnesota
[Automation Engineer Technology/Technician](/majors/engineering-technologies/electromechanical-engineering-technology/automation-engineer-technology-technician/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong automation engineer technology/technician education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 12 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for automation engineer technology/technician students.
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2026 Best Value Automation Engineer Technology/Technician Schools in Minnesota
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in automation engineer technology/technician, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Automation Engineer Technology/Technician Schools
South Central College earned the #1 spot for value among automation engineer technology/technician schools in Minnesota. Set in the suburb of North Mankato, South Central College is a mid-sized public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $6,146. Students borrow a median of $8,450 to complete the automation engineer technology/technician program here. Soon after graduation, automation engineer technology/technician degree recipients from South Central College generally make around $56,246. That is a strong return on a $8,450 median debt.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Pine Technical College earned it the #2 place for automation engineer technology/technician. Pine Technical College is a mid-sized public school located in the rural area of Pine City. In-state tuition and fees average $4,738. Students borrow a median of $22,454 to complete the automation engineer technology/technician program here. Automation Engineer Technology/technician graduates of Pine Technical College earn a median of $44,905 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Students looking for strong value in automation engineer technology/technician will find it at Hennepin Technical College, which ranked #3. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a moderately-sized public university. In-state tuition and fees average $5,940. Typical student debt for automation engineer technology/technician graduates is $16,465. Automation Engineer Technology/technician graduates of Hennepin Technical College earn a median of $71,199 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
A rank of #4 makes Ridgewater College one of the best values for automation engineer technology/technician. Set in the town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a mid-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $6,121 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $17,196 to complete the automation engineer technology/technician program here. Early-career automation engineer technology/technician graduates make about $58,968. That is a strong return on a $17,196 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in automation engineer technology/technician will find it at Minnesota West Community And Technical College, which ranked #5. Located in the rural area of Granite Falls, Minnesota West Community And Technical College is a mid-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $6,491 in tuition and fees. Automation Engineer Technology/technician graduates carry a median of $13,946 in student loans. Automation Engineer Technology/technician graduates of Minnesota West Community And Technical College earn a median of $43,009 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Alexandria Technical And Community College landed the #6 spot for automation engineer technology/technician value this year. Located in the town of Alexandria, Alexandria Technical And Community College is a mid-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,236. Automation Engineer Technology/technician graduates carry a median of $12,000 in student loans. Early-career automation engineer technology/technician graduates make about $55,372. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Minnesota State College Southeast Technical earned the #7 position for value in automation engineer technology/technician this year. Minnesota State College Southeast Technical is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Winona. In-state tuition and fees average $6,432. Automation Engineer Technology/technician graduates carry a median of $22,522 in student loans. Soon after graduation, automation engineer technology/technician degree recipients from Minnesota State College Southeast Technical generally make around $50,290. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 12 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
