2026 Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region
[Manufacturing Engineering](/majors/engineering/manufacturing-engineering/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 12 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for manufacturing engineering students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the manufacturing engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools
Leading the list is University Of North Alabama, our #1 best value for manufacturing engineering in the Southeast Region. Set in the city of Florence, University Of North Alabama is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $12,120 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $22,320. Typical student debt for manufacturing engineering graduates is $24,291. Manufacturing Engineering graduates of University Of North Alabama earn a median of $41,357 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $24,291 median debt. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in manufacturing engineering will find it at North Carolina State University At Raleigh, which ranked #2. North Carolina State University At Raleigh is a very large public school located in the city of Raleigh. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,799, compared with $32,847 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for manufacturing engineering graduates is $22,113. Soon after graduation, manufacturing engineering degree recipients from North Carolina State University At Raleigh generally make around $59,622. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 42%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Georgia Southern University earned it the #3 place for manufacturing engineering. Set in the town of Statesboro, Georgia Southern University is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,022, compared with $17,734 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for manufacturing engineering graduates is $26,500. Soon after graduation, manufacturing engineering degree recipients from Georgia Southern University generally make around $83,438. Set against $26,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 88%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Savannah College Of Art And Design earned it the #4 place for manufacturing engineering. Set in the city of Savannah, Savannah College Of Art And Design is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $41,630. Students borrow a median of $26,346 to complete the manufacturing engineering program here. Soon after graduation, manufacturing engineering degree recipients from Savannah College Of Art And Design generally make around $40,671. Set against $26,346 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 83%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 12 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
