2027 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in District of Columbia

[Civil Engineering](/majors/engineering/civil-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong civil engineering education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value civil engineering schools.
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2027 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in District of Columbia
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the civil engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Civil Engineering Schools
Leading the list is Catholic University Of America, our #1 best value for civil engineering in District of Columbia. Set in the city of Washington, Catholic University Of America is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $58,378 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for civil engineering graduates is $24,750. Early-career civil engineering graduates make about $77,501. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 83% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in civil engineering will find it at George Washington University, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $67,710. Students borrow a median of $22,910 to complete the civil engineering program here. Civil Engineering graduates of George Washington University earn a median of $73,749 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $22,910 median debt. The acceptance rate is 47%.
Students looking for strong value in civil engineering will find it at Howard University, which ranked #3. Howard University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. In-state tuition and fees average $35,810. Civil Engineering graduates carry a median of $25,498 in student loans. Soon after graduation, civil engineering degree recipients from Howard University generally make around $58,495. That is a strong return on a $25,498 median debt. The acceptance rate is 41%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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.