[Engineering-Related Fields](/majors/engineering-technologies/engineering-related-fields/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for engineering-related fields students.
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If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the engineering-related fields degrees they offer, see the list below.
Florida International University earned the #1 spot for value among engineering-related fields schools in Florida. Located in the suburb of Miami, Florida International University is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,565, while out-of-state students pay about $18,964. Typical student debt for engineering-related fields graduates is $19,349. Early-career engineering-related fields graduates make about $52,517. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 55% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in engineering-related fields will find it at University Of South Florida Main Campus, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Tampa, University Of South Florida Main Campus is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $6,410 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $17,324. Engineering-Related Fields graduates carry a median of $21,829 in student loans. Soon after graduation, engineering-related fields degree recipients from University Of South Florida Main Campus generally make around $52,885. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of South Florida Main Campus admits about 43% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in engineering-related fields will find it at University Of Central Florida, which ranked #3. University Of Central Florida is a very large public school located in the suburb of Orlando. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,368, compared with $22,467 for out-of-state students. Engineering-Related Fields graduates carry a median of $21,620 in student loans. Soon after graduation, engineering-related fields degree recipients from University Of Central Florida generally make around $120,323. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 40% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in engineering-related fields will find it at Florida Institute Of Technology, which ranked #4. Located in the city of Melbourne, Florida Institute Of Technology is a large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $45,900. Students borrow a median of $32,114 to complete the engineering-related fields program here. Soon after graduation, engineering-related fields degree recipients from Florida Institute Of Technology generally make around $86,857. Set against $32,114 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 58%.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced 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 · 7 schools 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.
