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2023 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering in Pennsylvania (With Aid)

10 Ranked Colleges
836 Degrees Awarded
$32,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid

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 in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Chemical Engineering is the 70th most popular major in the country with 12,917 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, chemical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $65,870 and had an average of $23,285 in loans still to pay off.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 836 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $70,372 and $26,497 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” 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. 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 in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering in Pennsylvania (With Aid)

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 48 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $25,046 for pennsylvania chem eng students with aid per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 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%.

Full UPenn Chemical Engineering Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid. Pitt is a large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 124 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

Pitt also took the #5 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $27,058 for Pennsylvania Chem Eng students with aid per year to attend Pitt.

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 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Pitt Chemical Engineering Report

3
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Lehigh is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 66 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

Lehigh also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Lehigh is $34,384 for pennsylvania chem eng students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Lehigh University Chemical Engineering Report

4
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 126 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

Carnegie Mellon also took the #1 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon is $36,775 for pennsylvania chem eng students with aid.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 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 full report on Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid. Johnstown, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

Pitt Johnstown also took the #10 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is $17,457 for pennsylvania chem eng students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Pitt Johnstown

6
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #6, Lafayette College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Easton, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania chem eng students with aid list, Lafayette has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lafayette is $32,926 for pennsylvania chem eng students with aid.

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%. The impressive undergraduate 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 undergraduate students.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Lafayette College

7
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania

Villanova University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It awarded 65 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

Villanova did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $43,577 for Pennsylvania Chem Eng students with aid per year to attend Villanova University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full Villanova Chemical Engineering Report

8
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

Bucknell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 35 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bucknell, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $43,895 for Pennsylvania Chem Eng students with aid per year to attend Bucknell University.

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 0.8% 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%. 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.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Bucknell

9
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #9, Drexel University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Drexel is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 121 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Drexel, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Drexel is $35,963 for Pennsylvania Chem Eng students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 88%.

Full Drexel University Chemical Engineering Report

10
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania

Widener University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chester, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

Widener not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $31,792 for Pennsylvania Chem Eng students with aid per year to attend Widener University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at Widener

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