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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

39 Ranked Colleges
1,827 Degrees Awarded
$17,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Civil Engineering is the 45th most popular major in the country with 21,561 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 2,726 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,345 and $24,513 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,827 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 39 colleges that offer a degree in civil engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great 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 civil engineering program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

#1

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 39 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 161 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid list, Purdue has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Civil 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 civil eng students with aid.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Civil Engineering at Purdue

Out of the 39 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 180 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 students.

Full UIUC Civil Engineering Report

Out of the 39 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 108 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid.

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 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%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 40 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid list, U-M has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $15,336 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full U-M Civil Engineering Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 79 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid list, UIC has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Civil 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 Civil Eng students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at UIC

#6

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Platteville ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Platteville, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school handed out 83 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid list, UW - Platteville has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,718 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid per year to attend UW - Platteville.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at UW - Platteville

#7

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

With a ranking of #7, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 95 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also took the #9 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

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 full report on Civil Engineering at Michigan State

#8

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Hammond, Indiana, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Purdue Northwest is $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

Full Purdue Northwest Civil Engineering Report

Michigan Technological University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school situated in Houghton, Michigan. It awarded 66 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan Tech also took the #12 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan Tech is $16,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Michigan Technological University

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 143 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $17,616 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

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 student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

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

#11

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 57 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid list, UWM has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UWM is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid.

Full UWM Civil Engineering Report

#12

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Wayne State is a large school located in Detroit, Michigan that handed out 37 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Wayne State is $13,965 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Wayne State

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 30 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid.

Read more about Civil Engineering at SIUE

#14

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Evansville, Indiana, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,437 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid per year to attend USI.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at USI

#15

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Purdue University Fort Wayne ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,912 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid per year to attend Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Full PFW Civil Engineering Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 32 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

Read more about Civil Engineering at SIUC

#17

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school situated in Youngstown, Ohio. It awarded 22 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Youngstown State University is $11,947 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Youngstown State University

#18

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Northwestern University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid list, Northwestern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Civil 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 Civil Eng students with aid.

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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Northwestern University Civil Engineering Report

#19

University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio

University of Toledo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Toledo, Ohio, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Toledo is $17,630 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid.

Full University of Toledo Civil Engineering Report

#20

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend WMU is $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Western Michigan University

#21

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 50 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid list, Notre Dame has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $33,025 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid per year to attend Notre Dame.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The 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 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 more about Civil Engineering at Notre Dame

University of Akron Main Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Akron Main Campus is a public institution located in Akron, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $17,792 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

Full University of Akron Main Campus Civil Engineering Report

#23

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Valparaiso, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

Valpo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Valparaiso University is $18,852 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Valparaiso University

#24

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 38 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cleveland State University is $17,278 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students with aid.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Cleveland State University

With a ranking of #25, Ohio Northern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Ohio Northern University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Ada, Ohio. It awarded 24 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

ONU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ONU is $24,072 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree civil eng students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full ONU Civil Engineering Report

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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.

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