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2023 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (With Aid)

152 Ranked Colleges
9,018 Degrees Awarded
$14,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

General Engineering is the 96th most popular major in the country with 9,018 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 152 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Engineering Schools

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (With Aid)

1

Out of the 152 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 64 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $17,234 for Engineering students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 more about General Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison

2
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 96 students in 2020-2021.

Purdue also made our “Best General Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,377 for engineering 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 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 Purdue General Engineering Report

3

Out of the 152 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Austin Community College District landed the #3 spot on the list. Austin Community College District is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 85 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Austin Community College District is $7,224 for Engineering students with aid.

Read full report on General Engineering at Austin Community College District

4

Out of the 152 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 123 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $15,768 for engineering 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Davis General Engineering Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Maryland - College Park. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 381 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMCP, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - College Park is $18,048 for Engineering students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UMCP General Engineering Report

6

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for Engineering 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

7
WVU crest
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia

West Virginia University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Morgantown, West Virginia, this large public school awarded 41 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

WVU also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $13,355 for Engineering students with aid per year to attend WVU.

Full West Virginia University General Engineering Report

8

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our engineering students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,321 for engineering students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 94%.

Read more about General Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

9

Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 174 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,107 for Engineering students with aid per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Engineering at ASU - Tempe

10

California State University - Fresno ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $6,230 for engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Engineering at California State University - Fresno

11
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. NC State is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 52 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

NC State also took the #24 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,411 for engineering students with aid per year to attend North Carolina State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full NC State General Engineering Report

12

University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Lincoln, Nebraska is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.

UNL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNL is $17,013 for engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Engineering at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

13

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 5 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $16,032 for engineering 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 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 full report on General Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

14

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,054 for Engineering students with aid per year to attend CSULB.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Engineering at CSULB

15
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas

University of Arkansas did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and it awarded 106 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UARK also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UARK is $16,507 for engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UARK General Engineering Report

16
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

With a ranking of #16, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 54 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $16,542 for engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad 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 General Engineering at San Jose State University

17
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire

Dartmouth College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Dartmouth College is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 153 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Dartmouth also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth College is $32,410 for Engineering students with aid.

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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Dartmouth General Engineering Report

18

University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is a medium-sized public school situated in Platteville, Wisconsin. It awarded 44 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Platteville is $14,565 for Engineering students with aid.

Full UW - Platteville General Engineering Report

19
Monroe Community College crest
Monroe Community College
Rochester, New York

Monroe Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Monroe Community College is a medium-sized school located in Rochester, New York that handed out 39 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Monroe Community College is $6,891 for Engineering students with aid.

Read more about General Engineering at Monroe Community College

20
Mississippi State crest
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, Mississippi

Mississippi State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Mississippi State, Mississippi is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Mississippi State is also in the top of our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Mississippi State University is $16,122 for Engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Mississippi State General Engineering Report

21

The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UTEP is a public institution located in El Paso, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at El Paso is $9,000 for engineering students with aid.

Read more about General Engineering at UTEP

22

With a ranking of #22, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school handed out 33 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $10,428 for Engineering students with aid.

Read more about General Engineering at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

23
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

University of Georgia came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Athens, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend University of Georgia is $14,257 for engineering students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UGA General Engineering Report

24

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 3 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $12,209 for engineering students with aid per year to attend UC Irvine.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Irvine General Engineering Report

25
McNeese crest
McNeese State University
Lake Charles, Louisiana

McNeese State University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. McNeese is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 70 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,759 for engineering students with aid per year to attend McNeese State University.

Full McNeese General Engineering Report

Notes and References

References

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