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

15 Ranked Colleges
795 Degrees Awarded
$15,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southeast Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region” ranking.

General Engineering is the 78th most popular major in the country with 11,925 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $66,152 and had an average of $20,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southeast region, there were 2,718 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,108 and $18,564 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 795 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,277 and $25,415 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general engineering programs that also have a lower cost than 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

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 a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region” 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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

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

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering in the Southeast Region

#1

McNeese State University

Lake Charles, Louisiana

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, McNeese State University landed the #1 spot on the list. McNeese is a medium-sized public school situated in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It awarded 94 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

McNeese also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for McNeese is $12,267 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students.

Read more about General Engineering at McNeese State University

#2

Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, North Carolina
#13 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Carolina University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region. Located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, this fairly large public school awarded 34 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree engineering students list, WCU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Carolina University is $13,722 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students.

Read full report on General Engineering at Western Carolina University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Tennessee - Martin. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region. Martin, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree engineering students list, UT Martin has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Martin is $10,955 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students.

Full The University of Tennessee - Martin General Engineering Report

#4

East Carolina University

Greenville, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Carolina University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. ECU is located in Greenville, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 134 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ECU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $15,844 for southeast region bachelor’s degree engineering students per year to attend East Carolina University.

Read more about General Engineering at ECU

#5

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, Tennessee
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tennessee Technological University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Tennessee Technological University is located in Cookeville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Tennessee Tech University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tennessee Tech University is $15,929 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Tennessee Tech University

#6

John Brown University

Siloam Springs, Arkansas

John Brown University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. John Brown University is located in Siloam Springs, Arkansas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

JBU also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for JBU is $21,963 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full JBU General Engineering Report

#7

University of North Carolina at Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Asheville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #7. University of North Carolina at Asheville is located in Asheville, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

UNCA also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $12,061 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students per year to attend UNCA.

Read full report on General Engineering at UNCA

#8

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

James Madison University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #8. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for James Madison University is $22,169 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students.

The school has an impressive 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Engineering at JMU

#9

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #9. NC State is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 49 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $16,458 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students per year to attend NC State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The 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 NC State

#10

University of Mississippi

University, Mississippi
#9 in overall quality

University of Mississippi ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Ole Miss is a public institution located in University, Mississippi. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Ole Miss also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Ole Miss is $14,016 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students.

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 full report on General Engineering at University of Mississippi

#11 in overall quality

The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Chattanooga, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $12,952 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students per year to attend UT Chattanooga.

Read more about General Engineering at UT Chattanooga

#12

Mercer University

Macon, Georgia

Mercer University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Macon, Georgia, and it awarded 146 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Mercer not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $21,464 for southeast region bachelor’s degree engineering students per year to attend Mercer.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at Mercer University

#13

Marshall University

Huntington, West Virginia

With a ranking of #13, Marshall University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Huntington, West Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Marshall University also made our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Marshall University is $8,370 for southeast region bachelor’s degree engineering students.

Read full report on General Engineering at Marshall University

#14

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Old Dominion University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region list. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree engineering students list, Old Dominion has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Old Dominion University is $16,493 for southeast region bachelor’s degree engineering students.

Read more about General Engineering at Old Dominion

#15

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #15. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 10 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $20,397 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students per year to attend University of Virginia.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Engineering at University of Virginia - Main Campus

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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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