2023 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
158
Ranked Colleges
11,796
Degrees Awarded
$7,000
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 11,796 people earned their degree in general engineering, making the major the 79th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,873 and had an average of $20,557 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 158 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.
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 general engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank General Engineering Schools
The engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
Out of the 158 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Olin College landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Needham, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 33 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Olin College also made our “Best General Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Olin College is $859 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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.
Read more about General Engineering at Olin College
Out of the 158 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Dartmouth College landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 153 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $8,718 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Dartmouth.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Dartmouth General Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Brown is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 142 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Brown has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brown University is $2,842 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Engineering at Brown
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 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. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,788 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Engineering at UW - Madison
Out of the 158 schools in the Best Value Engineering 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 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also made our “Best General Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $917 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about General Engineering at Northwestern
With a ranking of #6, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 10 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,652 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 General Engineering at Vanderbilt
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 96 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue also made our “Best General Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $5,853 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.
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%.
Read full report on General Engineering at Purdue
Massachusetts Maritime Academy did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Maritime is located in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Maritime, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Maritime Academy is $7,554 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Full Maritime General Engineering Report
Johns Hopkins University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Johns Hopkins University is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 6 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,859 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Johns Hopkins University.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Johns Hopkins General Engineering Report
University of California - Berkeley came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 5 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $9,999 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Engineering at University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Davis landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 123 ’s 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 $11,598 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Engineering at UC Davis
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $9,891 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles General Engineering Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
UIUC also made our “Best General Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $8,036 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIUC.
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%. 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 UIUC General Engineering Report
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. University of Maryland - College Park is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 381 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMCP has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Maryland - College Park is $11,567 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of Maryland - College Park
With a ranking of #15, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Carnegie Mellon University is a fairly large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 35 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Carnegie Mellon has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $13,608 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Carnegie Mellon General Engineering Report
Cornell University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cornell is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 13 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Cornell is in the top on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $5,133 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cornell.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 Cornell University
With a ranking of #17, Tufts University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Medford, Massachusetts, and it awarded 3 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Tufts is $7,987 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 92%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about General Engineering at Tufts
With a ranking of #18, Austin Community College District did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 85 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $4,907 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Austin Community College District.
Read full report on General Engineering at Austin Community College District
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k 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.
In addition to being on our engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,628 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k 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.
Full Arizona State University - Tempe General Engineering Report
Swarthmore College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Swarthmore is $4,012 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read more about General Engineering at Swarthmore College
With a ranking of #21, Wake Technical Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wake Technical Community College is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 133 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $4,842 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wake Technical Community College.
Read more about General Engineering at Wake Technical Community College
North Carolina State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 52 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
NC State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina State University is $9,448 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full NC State General Engineering Report
California State University - Fresno came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $4,655 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 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 more about General Engineering at California State University - Fresno
With a ranking of #24, Northeastern University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 320 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Northeastern also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern is $7,376 for Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Northeastern General Engineering Report
West Virginia University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. Morgantown, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, WVU also did well on our “Best General Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend WVU is $10,250 for engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full West Virginia University General Engineering Report
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