2023 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
151
Ranked Colleges
12,690
Degrees Awarded
$5,800
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Chemical Engineering is the 64th most popular major in the country with 12,690 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 151 colleges that offered 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.
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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Chemical Engineering Schools
The chem eng school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
Out of the 151 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. MIT is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 71 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
MIT also took the #1 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MIT is $-2,603 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at MIT
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,581 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Stanford
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Princeton University is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 52 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $4,502 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Princeton.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.
Full Princeton University Chemical Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $917 for chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Full Northwestern University Chemical Engineering Report
Out of the 151 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 177 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $5,670 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full U-M Chemical Engineering Report
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 114 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, Columbia has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $4,699 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Columbia University in the City of New York
With a ranking of #7, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 237 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue also took the #12 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $5,853 for chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Chemical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #8, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 131 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $5,133 for chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cornell.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Cornell
With a ranking of #8, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. WUSTL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 85 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
WUSTL also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $2,446 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
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.
Full Washington University in St Louis Chemical Engineering Report
University of Florida ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 144 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $2,857 for chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UF.
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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UF Chemical Engineering Report
Vanderbilt University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Vanderbilt University is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
Vanderbilt also took the #17 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,652 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Vanderbilt Chemical Engineering Report
Rice University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 46 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $1,340 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. 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 freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Rice University Chemical Engineering Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 121 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,788 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 95%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Johns Hopkins University is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 136 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins is $4,859 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Johns Hopkins
With a ranking of #15, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 175 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $9,999 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UC Berkeley
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 103 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also took the #25 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,399 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW Seattle.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, 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 full report on Chemical Engineering at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
With a ranking of #17, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 181 students in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $8,036 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. 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 UIUC
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 137 students in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities also claimed a top spot on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $8,609 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Tufts University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Tufts University is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Tufts is $7,987 for chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Tufts
With a ranking of #20, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 241 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgia Tech, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgia Tech is $11,712 for chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Georgia Tech
With a ranking of #21, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 157 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $5,632 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of South Florida - Main Campus
North Carolina State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. North Carolina State University is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 218 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, NC State has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NC State is $9,448 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at NC State
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 119 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UCLA is in the top on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $9,891 for chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles
Carnegie Mellon University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 126 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon also took the #3 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon is $13,608 for Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full Carnegie Mellon Chemical Engineering Report
Florida State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 51 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $7,349 for chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Florida State University.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Florida State
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