2027 Best Value Optical Enginering Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[Optical Enginering](/majors/engineering/ee-electrical-engineering/laser-optical-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong optical enginering education at a price that pays off.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for optical enginering students.
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2027 Best Value Optical Enginering Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in optical enginering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Optical Enginering Schools
University Of Michigan Ann Arbor earned the #1 spot for value among optical enginering schools in the Great Lakes Region. University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a very large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor. Students from in state pay about $18,848 in tuition and fees, compared with $63,081 for out-of-state students. Optical Enginering graduates carry a median of $18,667 in student loans. Optical Enginering graduates of University Of Michigan Ann Arbor earn a median of $66,254 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Michigan Ann Arbor admits about 16% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in optical enginering will find it at University Of Dayton, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Dayton, University Of Dayton is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $49,140. Optical Enginering graduates carry a median of $26,625 in student loans. Soon after graduation, optical enginering degree recipients from University Of Dayton generally make around $87,094. Set against $26,625 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 65% of applicants are accepted.
Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology is a great value for students pursuing a degree in optical enginering, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Terre Haute, Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $56,046. Optical Enginering graduates carry a median of $26,161 in student loans. Optical Enginering graduates of Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology earn a median of $80,062 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $26,161 median debt. The acceptance rate is 77%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, 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.
