2026 Best Value Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician Schools in Illinois
[Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician](/majors/engineering-technologies/mechanical-engineering-technology/automotive-engineering-technology-technician/) 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 automotive engineering technology/technician students.
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2026 Best Value Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician Schools in Illinois
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in automotive engineering technology/technician, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician Schools
For return on investment in automotive engineering technology/technician, no school beat Southern Illinois University Carbondale this year. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a large public school located in the town of Carbondale. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,334. Typical student debt for automotive engineering technology/technician graduates is $19,187. Automotive Engineering Technology/technician graduates of Southern Illinois University Carbondale earn a median of $62,503 early in their careers. Set against $19,187 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, 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.
