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

283 Ranked Colleges
28,166 Degrees Awarded
$5,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 28,166 people earned their degree in electrical engineering, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 283 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality electrical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than 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 electrical engineering program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

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

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

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 173 diplomas to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.

MIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $-2,603 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at MIT

2
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 119 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our ee students whose families make $30-$48k list, Duke has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $-927 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Duke. 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.

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. 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 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%.

Full Duke University Electrical Engineering Report

3
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 259 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our ee students whose families make $30-$48k list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,581 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Stanford University

4
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey

Out of the 283 schools in the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #4 spot on the list. Princeton University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 84 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $4,502 for EE students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Princeton.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 Electrical Engineering Report

5
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 283 schools in the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #5 spot on the list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 76 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also took the #11 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $917 for EE students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at Northwestern

6

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 232 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our ee students whose families make $30-$48k list, Columbia has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $4,699 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. 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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Columbia University in the City of New York

7
Olin College crest
Olin College
Needham, Massachusetts

Olin College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Needham, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s EE degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

Olin College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $859 for EE students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Olin College.

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.

Full Olin College Electrical Engineering Report

8
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 116 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,938 for EE students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UPenn.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 full report on Electrical Engineering at University of Pennsylvania

9

Washington University in St Louis ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. WUSTL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 82 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

WUSTL also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $2,446 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend WUSTL.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 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%.

Full WUSTL Electrical Engineering Report

10

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 142 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $5,670 for ee 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

11
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Johns Hopkins University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Johns Hopkins University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 217 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Johns Hopkins also took the #4 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins University is $4,859 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 Electrical Engineering Report

12
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cornell is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 264 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $5,133 for EE students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cornell Electrical Engineering Report

13

University of California - Berkeley ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 729 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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 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 Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley

14
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 336 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UF also did well on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $2,857 for ee 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 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%.

Full University of Florida Electrical Engineering Report

15
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 366 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our ee students whose families make $30-$48k list, Purdue has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,853 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Purdue

16
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 37 diplomas to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Vanderbilt also did well on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $4,652 for EE students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 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 more about Electrical Engineering at Vanderbilt

17
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Rice University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Rice is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 46 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Rice not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Rice is $1,340 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at Rice University

18

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 227 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $4,788 for EE 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UW - Madison

19

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 373 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Seattle is also in the top of our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $6,399 for EE students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at UW Seattle

20

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 360 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.

UCLA also took the #14 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,891 for EE students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UCLA

21
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Tufts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Tufts also claimed a top spot on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Tufts University is $7,987 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at Tufts

22

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 463 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $8,036 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

23

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 289 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our ee students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSD has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,176 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Electrical Engineering Report

24
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 548 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our ee students whose families make $30-$48k list, Carnegie Mellon has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon is $13,608 for EE students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Carnegie Mellon Electrical Engineering Report

25

With a ranking of #25, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 184 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities excels when it comes to EE quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $8,609 for ee students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 93%.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Electrical Engineering Report

Rest of the Best 43 in Best Value EE Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 43 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
29
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
38
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
39
40
41
42
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
43

Notes and References

References

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