Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

16 Ranked Colleges
1,595 Degrees Awarded
$10,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 13,314 people earned their degree in chemical engineering, making the major the 53rd most popular in the United States.

Across the Southwest region, there were 1,595 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the chemical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Chemical Engineering Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college 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. 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 in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rice University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 55 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

Rice also took the #2 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $3,437 for southwest region 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 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. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Rice

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 273 students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $11,454 for southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M University - College Station.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M College Station

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 225 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also took the #1 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,203 for southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 more about Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this large public school handed out 67 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,669 for southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend OSU.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at OSU

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school awarded 198 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $7,044 for southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

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 more about Chemical Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe

#6

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas Tech University is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 118 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texas Tech has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech is $12,317 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Texas Tech University

#7

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Beaumont, Texas, and it awarded 57 ’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Lamar University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $9,200 for southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lamar University.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Lamar University

#8

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 93 ’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona also took the #11 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $10,562 for southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of Arizona

#9

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Houston is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 108 ’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Houston is $10,203 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UH Chemical Engineering Report

New Mexico State University - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school awarded 43 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NMSU Main Campus, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $6,896 for southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. New Mexico Tech is a small public school situated in Socorro, New Mexico. It awarded 20 ’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

New Mexico Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico Tech is $10,924 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

With a ranking of #12, Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Kingsville, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 76 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texas A&M Kingsville has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,105 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M Kingsville.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University - Kingsville

#13

Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, Texas

Prairie View A & M University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. PVAMU is located in Prairie View, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 58 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

PVAMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend PVAMU is $12,291 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at PVAMU

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school handed out 104 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $16,675 for Southwest Region Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Oklahoma.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of Oklahoma

#15

University of Tulsa

Tulsa, Oklahoma

University of Tulsa landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Tulsa is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 42 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Tulsa also took the #4 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Tulsa is $14,391 for southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full University of Tulsa Chemical Engineering Report

#16

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UNM is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 58 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNM also took the #16 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNM is $13,242 for southwest region chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UNM

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Engineering Schools

Find Schools Near You