2023 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
151
Ranked Colleges
12,690
Degrees Awarded
$5,600
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Chemical Engineering is the 64th most popular major in the country with 12,690 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
For this year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 151 colleges that offer a degree in chemical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great chemical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the chemical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Chemical Engineering Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 65 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,233 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Stanford
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 71 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at MIT, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $5,193 for chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at MIT
Out of the 151 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #3 spot on the list. Princeton University is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 52 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Princeton, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $2,958 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Princeton University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 177 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $2,670 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 48 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $245 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Northwestern University
Rice University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Rice is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 46 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Rice has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,443 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rice.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Rice
Vanderbilt University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 37 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,176 for chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt
University of Florida landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 144 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $65 for chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at UF
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 136 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also took the #20 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins is $2,084 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Johns Hopkins
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 121 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $3,981 for chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Madison.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UW - Madison Chemical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #11, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.
WUSTL also took the #10 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington University in St Louis is $1,556 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St Louis
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 237 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,995 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Purdue
With a ranking of #13, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 131 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornell is $5,244 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Cornell University
With a ranking of #14, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 181 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $4,858 for chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Chemical Engineering Report
University of California - Berkeley ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 175 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,450 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UC Berkeley
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 241 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Georgia Tech has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is $8,818 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Chemical Engineering Report
North Carolina State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 218 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, NC State has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,283 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NC State.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at NC State
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 137 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities excels when it comes to chem eng quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $7,698 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at UMN Twin Cities
With a ranking of #19, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 114 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $9,873 for chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Columbia University in the City of New York
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 103 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also took the #25 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $5,194 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UW Seattle
With a ranking of #21, Tufts University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tufts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,122 for chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tufts University.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Tufts University
With a ranking of #22, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 126 students in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon is $16,456 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. USF Tampa is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 157 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $4,176 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Full University of South Florida - Main Campus Chemical Engineering Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 64 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Virginia has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia - Main Campus is $12,476 for chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of Virginia - Main Campus
Michigan State University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 112 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $6,927 for Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Michigan State Chemical Engineering Report
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