2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 21,561 people earned their degree in civil engineering, making the major the 45th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, civil engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $60,122 and had an average of $23,807 in loans still to pay off.

Across North Carolina, there were 396 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,700 and $25,379 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 251 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,192 and $24,368 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in civil engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent civil 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 civil engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The civil 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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for north carolina bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina

#1 in overall quality

$-7,808 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Duke also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $-7,808 for north carolina bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Duke University. 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 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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Duke University Civil Engineering Report

#2

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

#2 in overall quality

$7,285 Average Net Price

$60,123 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, North Carolina State University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $7,285 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NC State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full NC State Civil Engineering Report

#3

North Carolina A & T State University

Greensboro, North Carolina

#4 in overall quality

$7,493 Average Net Price

$60,689 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, North Carolina A & T State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

NC A&T also took the #4 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina A & T State University is $7,493 for north carolina bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at NC A&T

#4

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina

#3 in overall quality

$11,991 Average Net Price

$60,640 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Charlotte. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 88 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

UNC Charlotte also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $11,991 for north carolina bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNC Charlotte.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k)

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 Master Sgt. Roger Parsons.

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