2026 Best Value General Engineering Science Schools in Pennsylvania
[General Engineering Science](/majors/engineering/engineering-science/general-engineering-science/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 9 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for general engineering science students.
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2026 Best Value General Engineering Science Schools in Pennsylvania
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general engineering science, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value General Engineering Science Schools
For return on investment in general engineering science, no school beat Carnegie Mellon University this year. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University is a large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $65,636. Students borrow a median of $23,529 to complete the general engineering science program here. General Engineering Science graduates of Carnegie Mellon University earn a median of $89,327 early in their careers. Set against $23,529 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Carnegie Mellon University admits about 12% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes Pennsylvania State University Main Campus one of the best values for general engineering science. Located in the city of University Park, Pennsylvania State University Main Campus is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $20,644, while out-of-state students pay about $41,790. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $63,435. Roughly 61% of applicants are accepted.
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 · 9 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
