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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering in the Great Lakes Region

25 Ranked Colleges
1,876 Degrees Awarded
$21,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Great Lakes region, there were 2,335 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,876 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 25 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.

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

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan
#19 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Michigan University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. WMU is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 66 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students list, WMU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students per year to attend WMU.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at WMU

#2

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, Ohio
#24 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Youngstown State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Youngstown, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Youngstown State University, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,947 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students per year to attend Youngstown State University.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Youngstown State University

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Purdue University - Main Campus is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 161 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 students.

Full Purdue Chemical Engineering Report

#4

University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio
#18 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Toledo. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Toledo, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 62 degrees to qualified bachelors’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

University of Toledo also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend University of Toledo is $17,630 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of Toledo

#22 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Akron Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Akron, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chem eng degrees to 81 students in 2019-2020.

University of Akron Main Campus also took the #22 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,792 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students per year to attend University of Akron Main Campus.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of Akron Main Campus

#14 in overall quality

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 106 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $21,843 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students per year to attend UC.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UC

#7

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio
#25 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Cleveland State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland State University is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 50 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

Cleveland State University also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for Cleveland State University is $17,278 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

Full Cleveland State University Chemical Engineering Report

#23 in overall quality

Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chem eng degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

OHIO Athens also took the #23 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus is $22,906 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at OHIO Athens

#10 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 183 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $17,616 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, 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%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Ohio State University - Main Campus

#6 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 143 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UIUC Chemical Engineering Report

#17 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #17 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Chemical Engineering Report

#4 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chem eng degrees to 113 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - Madison Chemical Engineering Report

#13

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan
#21 in overall quality

Wayne State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Wayne State is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students list, Wayne State has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,965 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students per year to attend Wayne State.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Wayne State

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school situated in Houghton, Michigan. It awarded 90 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan Tech also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Michigan Technological University is $16,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 Michigan Technological University Chemical Engineering Report

#15

Kettering University

Flint, Michigan
#8 in overall quality

Kettering University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Flint, Michigan, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students list, Kettering has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Kettering is $37,518 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Kettering

#16

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#12 in overall quality

Michigan State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 123 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students list, Michigan State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Michigan State

#17

Trine University

Angola, Indiana
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, Trine University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Trine University is located in Angola, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students list, Trine has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Trine University is $23,202 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Trine Chemical Engineering Report

#16 in overall quality

Miami University - Oxford landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students list, Miami University - Oxford has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Miami University - Oxford is $24,323 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Full Miami University - Oxford Chemical Engineering Report

#19

University of Dayton

Dayton, Ohio
#13 in overall quality

University of Dayton ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UDayton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dayton, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students list, UDayton has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UDayton is $31,003 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of Dayton

#20

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M also took the #3 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,336 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students per year to attend U-M.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Chemical Engineering Report

#5 in overall quality

Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Terre Haute, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology also took the #5 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is $39,076 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The 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. The low 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%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology

#15 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois Institute of Technology is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 42 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Tech is $22,831 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

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

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Illinois Tech

#9 in overall quality

Case Western Reserve University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 46 degrees to qualified bachelors’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

Case Western also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Case Western Reserve University is $35,428 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree chem eng students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Case Western Reserve University Chemical Engineering Report

#24

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

University of Notre Dame came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s chem eng degrees to 84 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $33,025 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students per year to attend University of Notre Dame.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 students. 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.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of Notre Dame

#25

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Northwestern University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 42 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The impressive 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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Northwestern

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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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