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2023 Best Value Colleges for General Civil Engineering (Income $30-$48k)

236 Ranked Colleges
20,711 Degrees Awarded
$5,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 20,711 people earned their degree in general civil engineering, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 236 colleges that offered a degree in general civil engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general civil engineering programs and 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 general civil engineering program at the school. 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 General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Civil Engineering (Income $30-$48k)

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 176 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also made our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $1,581 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford University.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at Stanford

2
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 49 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Duke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Duke University is $-927 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at Duke University

3

Out of the 236 schools in the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #3 spot on the list. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 37 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

MIT also made our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $-2,603 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, 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 98%.

Full MIT General Civil Engineering Report

4
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey

Out of the 236 schools in the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Princeton, New Jersey, and it awarded 47 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Princeton has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,502 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Princeton.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Full Princeton University General Civil Engineering Report

5
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 72 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $917 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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.

Full Northwestern General Civil Engineering Report

6

Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering 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 147 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $4,699 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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%. 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 General Civil Engineering at Columbia

7
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #7, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 244 degrees to qualified ’s general civil engineering students in 2020-2021.

UF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $2,857 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at University of Florida

8

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 96 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, U-M has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,670 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

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 1.3% 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%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at U-M

9

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 274 ’s general civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,399 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW Seattle.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at UW Seattle

10
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 273 degrees to qualified ’s general civil engineering students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Purdue is in the top on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $5,853 for general civil engineering 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.

Full Purdue General Civil Engineering Report

11
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering 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 25 ’s general civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt University is $4,652 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about General Civil Engineering at Vanderbilt

12
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Cornell is $5,133 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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. 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%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at Cornell

13
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Rice University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Rice is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 26 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Rice did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Rice University is $1,340 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at Rice

14

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 157 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, UW - Madison is in the top on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $4,788 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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%.

Full UW - Madison General Civil Engineering Report

15
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

With a ranking of #15, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 43 ’s general civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

Johns Hopkins also made our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins is $4,859 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 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%.

Full Johns Hopkins University General Civil Engineering Report

16
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. Tufts University is a fairly large school located in Medford, Massachusetts that handed out 40 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Tufts also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts University is $7,987 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Tufts General Civil Engineering Report

17

University of California - Berkeley landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 294 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $9,999 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about General Civil Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

18

With a ranking of #18, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 403 ’s general civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIUC has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,036 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 undergraduate students.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Civil Engineering Report

19

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 155 degrees to qualified ’s general civil engineering students in 2020-2021.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,891 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

20

With a ranking of #20, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 97 ’s general civil engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UMN Twin Cities also did well on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $8,609 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities General Civil Engineering Report

21

University of California - Davis came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 228 ’s general civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $11,598 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

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

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at University of California - Davis

22

The City College of New York ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. The City College of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 ’s general civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $3,035 for General Civil Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CCNY.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Full The City College of New York General Civil Engineering Report

23

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general civil engineering degrees to 95 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,701 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles

24

University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school handed out 154 degrees to qualified ’s general civil engineering students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $5,632 for general civil engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at USF Tampa

25
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

With a ranking of #25, North Carolina State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general civil engineering degrees to 223 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, NC State is in the top on our “Best General Civil Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend NC State is $9,448 for General Civil Engineering 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 General Civil Engineering at NC State

Rest of the Best 37 in Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 37 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
27
28
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
29
30
31
32
32
34
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
35
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
36
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