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2023 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

6 Ranked Colleges
519 Degrees Awarded
$19,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

General Engineering is the 79th most popular major in the country with 11,796 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.

Across the Plains States region, there were 519 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,243 and $17,663 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree in general engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general engineering programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid”.

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. 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 in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region engineering students with aid.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, this large public school handed out 48 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

UNL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNL is $17,013 for plains states region engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Nebraska - Lincoln

2
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $19,401 for Plains States Region Engineering students with aid per year to attend University of Iowa.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 88%.

Full Iowa General Engineering Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Mankato, Minnesota, this fairly large public school awarded 36 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Minnesota State Mankato, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,159 for plains states region engineering students with aid per year to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at Minnesota State Mankato

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 7 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Mizzou also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $16,559 for Plains States Region Engineering students with aid per year to attend University of Missouri - Columbia.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 89%.

Read more about General Engineering at Mizzou

5
South Dakota State crest
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota State University landed the #5 spot on the list. South Dakota State is a public institution located in Brookings, South Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at South Dakota State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State is $18,578 for plains states region engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at South Dakota State University

6
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, Missouri

With a ranking of #6, Saint Louis University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 43 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

SLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Louis University is $25,039 for Plains States Region Engineering students with aid.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, 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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SLU General Engineering Report

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Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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