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2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

13 Ranked Colleges
486 Degrees Awarded
$22,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 9,411 people earned their degree in general engineering, making the major the 83rd most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,438 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 486 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank General Engineering Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #1 spot on the list. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students list, WIU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $16,210 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students.

Full WIU General Engineering Report

#2

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern Indiana. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. This fairly large school is located in Evansville, Indiana, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

USI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for USI is $13,437 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 University of Southern Indiana General Engineering Report

#13 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Akron Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Akron, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

University of Akron Main Campus also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $17,792 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students.

Read full report on General Engineering at University of Akron Main Campus

#4

Hope College

Holland, Michigan
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Hope College landed the #4 spot on the list. Holland, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 57 students in 2019-2020.

Hope not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Hope is $26,562 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Hope College General Engineering Report

#5

Andrews University

Berrien Springs, Michigan
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Andrews University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Andrews University is located in Berrien Springs, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students list, Andrews has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $21,934 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students per year to attend Andrews.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Andrews University General Engineering Report

#6

Calvin University

Grand Rapids, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

Calvin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Calvin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Calvin University is $26,647 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Engineering at Calvin University

#7

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $20,195 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students per year to attend Olivet Nazarene.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Olivet Nazarene University General Engineering Report

#8

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#2 in overall quality

Michigan State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 125 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Engineering at Michigan State University

#7 in overall quality

Michigan Technological University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan Technological University is a public institution located in Houghton, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan Tech also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Michigan Tech is $16,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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 86%.

Full Michigan Technological University General Engineering Report

#9 in overall quality

Miami University - Oxford came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Miami University - Oxford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Miami University - Oxford is $24,323 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Engineering at Miami University - Oxford

#11

Milwaukee School of Engineering

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Milwaukee School of Engineering did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

MSOE also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend MSOE is $24,440 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students.

The low 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%.

Full Milwaukee School of Engineering General Engineering Report

#6 in overall quality

Case Western Reserve University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students list, Case Western has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Case Western Reserve University is $35,428 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree engineering students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Case Western General Engineering Report

#13

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Northwestern University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $24,664 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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 General Engineering at Northwestern

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Rémi Kaupp.

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