2026 Best Value Petroleum Technology/Technician Schools
[Petroleum Technology/Technician](/majors/engineering-technologies/mining-petroleum-technology/petroleum-technology-technician/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 36 schools to find the best return on investment for petroleum technology/technician students.
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Finding the Best Value Petroleum Technology/Technician School for You
The petroleum technology/technician program you select can have a big impact on your finances and your future. That is why we developed our Best Value Petroleum Technology/Technician Schools ranking. We score each school on the balance of tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the best value.
Learn more about our methodology
Customizing Your List
We offer a number of rankings, including this Best Value Petroleum Technology/Technician Schools list, to help you decide. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Read more about College Factual’s methodology
2026 Best Value Petroleum Technology/Technician Schools in the United States
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the petroleum technology/technician degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Petroleum Technology/Technician Schools
Lewis And Clark Community College tops our 2026 list of the best value petroleum technology/technician schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Godfrey, Lewis And Clark Community College is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $4,340 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $7,840. Petroleum Technology/technician graduates carry a median of $9,602 in student loans. Early-career petroleum technology/technician graduates make about $60,223. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin is a great value for students pursuing a degree in petroleum technology/technician, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Odessa, The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin is a moderately-sized public university. In-state tuition and fees average $9,607, with out-of-state students paying around $21,900. Students borrow a median of $20,052 to complete the petroleum technology/technician program here. Soon after graduation, petroleum technology/technician degree recipients from The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin generally make around $60,503. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 95% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #3 makes South Louisiana Community College one of the best values for petroleum technology/technician. Set in the city of Lafayette, South Louisiana Community College is a moderately-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,210. Students borrow a median of $12,435 to complete the petroleum technology/technician program here. Soon after graduation, petroleum technology/technician degree recipients from South Louisiana Community College generally make around $38,854. Set against $12,435 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at L E Fletcher Technical Community College earned it the #4 place for petroleum technology/technician. L E Fletcher Technical Community College is a mid-sized public school located in the rural area of Schriever. In-state tuition and fees average $4,219. Petroleum Technology/technician graduates carry a median of $5,396 in student loans. Early-career petroleum technology/technician graduates make about $50,330. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Nicholls State University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in petroleum technology/technician, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the city of Thibodaux, Nicholls State University is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,149, with out-of-state students paying around $9,242. Petroleum Technology/technician graduates carry a median of $18,987 in student loans. Early-career petroleum technology/technician graduates make about $58,199. That is a strong return on a $18,987 median debt. The acceptance rate is 91%.
Lackawanna College earned the #6 position for value in petroleum technology/technician this year. Located in the city of Scranton, Lackawanna College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $18,400. Typical student debt for petroleum technology/technician graduates is $12,000. Early-career petroleum technology/technician graduates make about $63,377. That is a strong return on a $12,000 median debt.
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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 · 36 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.
