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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

8 Ranked Colleges
380 Degrees Awarded
$19,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor's in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Chemical Engineering is the 53rd most popular major in the country with 13,314 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 546 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 380 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 8 colleges that offer a degree in chemical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent chemical engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the chemical engineering program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 8 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

#1

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lafayette College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Lafayette College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Easton, Pennsylvania. It awarded 31 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Lafayette not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Lafayette College is $6,934 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Lafayette College Chemical Engineering Report

#2

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon is $12,542 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon

#3

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lehigh is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lehigh, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lehigh University is $14,080 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree 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 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Lehigh University

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a large public school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 97 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $20,075 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Chemical Engineering Report

#5

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bucknell University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Bucknell University is located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

Bucknell also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $22,342 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bucknell University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Full Bucknell Chemical Engineering Report

#6

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

Villanova University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Villanova also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $22,517 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Villanova University.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full Villanova Chemical Engineering Report

#7

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#7 in overall quality

Drexel University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Drexel is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Drexel not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Drexel is $25,234 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Drexel Chemical Engineering Report

#8

Widener University

Chester, Pennsylvania
#8 in overall quality

Widener University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Widener University is a medium-sized school located in Chester, Pennsylvania that handed out 12 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Widener, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $31,431 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Widener.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Widener University Chemical Engineering Report

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Mikulova.

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