College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools

12 Ranked Colleges
314 Degrees Awarded
$16,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 314 people earned their degree in mining and mineral engineering, making the major the 732nd most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in mining and mineral engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent mining and mineral 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 mining and mineral engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Mining and Mineral Engineering Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Mining & Mineral Engineering

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools. SD Mines is a small public school situated in Rapid City, South Dakota. It awarded 28 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

SD Mines not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $19,919 for mining and mineral engineering students per year to attend SD Mines.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Mining & Mineral Engineering at SD Mines

2

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. Missouri University of Science and Technology is located in Rolla, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 67 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees to qualified students.

Missouri University of Science and Technology also took the #2 spot in our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,964 for mining and mineral engineering students per year to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Mining & Mineral Engineering Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Montana Technological University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools. Montana Technological University is a small school located in Butte, Montana that handed out 21 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Montana Tech, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,814 for Mining and Mineral Engineering students per year to attend Montana Technological University.

Read more about Mining & Mineral Engineering at Montana Technological University

4
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools list. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 20 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $21,301 for Mining and Mineral Engineering students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Mining & Mineral Engineering at Virginia Tech

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools. New Mexico Tech is a small school located in Socorro, New Mexico that handed out 12 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

New Mexico Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico Tech is $14,836 for mining and mineral engineering students.

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.

Read more about Mining & Mineral Engineering at New Mexico Tech

6
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

With a ranking of #6, University of Utah did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools list. This large school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it awarded 8 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

U of U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Utah is $13,572 for Mining and Mineral Engineering students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Mining & Mineral Engineering at University of Utah

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Nevada - Reno did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools list. UNR is located in Reno, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees to qualified students.

UNR also took the #9 spot in our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Reno is $14,930 for mining and mineral engineering students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Nevada - Reno Mining & Mineral Engineering Report

8
WVU crest
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia

With a ranking of #8, West Virginia University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools list. West Virginia University is a large public school situated in Morgantown, West Virginia. It awarded 17 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WVU, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WVU is $13,355 for Mining and Mineral Engineering students.

Read full report on Mining & Mineral Engineering at West Virginia University

9
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools ranking, coming in at #9. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 45 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Arizona also made our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $13,358 for Mining and Mineral Engineering students per year to attend University of Arizona.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Mining & Mineral Engineering at University of Arizona

10
UK crest
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

University of Kentucky landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools ranking. University of Kentucky is a large school located in Lexington, Kentucky that handed out 25 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UK also made our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $18,203 for Mining and Mineral Engineering students per year to attend UK.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Kentucky Mining & Mineral Engineering Report

11

University of Alaska Fairbanks landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools ranking. University of Alaska Fairbanks is located in Fairbanks, Alaska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees to qualified students.

UAF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $10,510 for Mining and Mineral Engineering students per year to attend University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Read more about Mining & Mineral Engineering at University of Alaska Fairbanks

12
Mines crest
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

Colorado School of Mines ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Mining and Mineral Engineering Schools list. Mines is a medium-sized public school situated in Golden, Colorado. It awarded 41 ’s mining and mineral engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Mines did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Mining & Mineral Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $27,114 for Mining and Mineral Engineering students per year to attend Mines.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Mining & Mineral Engineering at Mines

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options