2026 Best Value Engineering Design Schools in the The Plains States Region
[Engineering Design](/majors/engineering-technologies/engineering-related-fields/engineering-design/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 1 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for engineering design students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Engineering Design Schools in the The Plains States Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the engineering design degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Engineering Design Schools
Leading the list is Saint Cloud State University, our #1 best value for engineering design in the The Plains States Region. Saint Cloud State University is a large public school located in the city of Saint Cloud. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,245. Students borrow a median of $25,076 to complete the engineering design program here. Engineering Design graduates of Saint Cloud State University earn a median of $51,625 early in their careers. Set against $25,076 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 95%.
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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 · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
