2027 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[Civil Engineering](/majors/engineering/civil-engineering/other-civil-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for civil engineering students.
What’s on this page:
2027 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in civil engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Civil Engineering Schools
Leading the list is Southern Illinois University Carbondale, our #1 best value for civil engineering in the Great Lakes Region. Located in the town of Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $13,334 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for civil engineering graduates is $19,781. Civil Engineering graduates of Southern Illinois University Carbondale earn a median of $46,566 early in their careers. Set against $19,781 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #2 makes Illinois Institute Of Technology one of the best values for civil engineering. Illinois Institute Of Technology is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Students from in state pay about $52,202 in tuition and fees. Civil Engineering graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Civil Engineering graduates of Illinois Institute Of Technology earn a median of $75,829 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 55%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Notre Dame earned it the #3 place for civil engineering. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, University Of Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $65,025. Typical student debt for civil engineering graduates is $20,100. Early-career civil engineering graduates make about $74,499. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 11% of applicants are accepted.
Narrow Civil Engineering Schools by State
More Civil Engineering Rankings
View All Civil Engineering Rankings >
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
