2023 Best Value Colleges for Nuclear Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 864 people earned their degree in nuclear engineering, making the major the 253rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, nuclear engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $59,111 and had an average of $22,196 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 128 nuclear engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $47,169 and $20,000 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered a degree in nuclear engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality nuclear 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 nuclear engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 2 Best Value Colleges for Nuclear Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

1

University of California - Berkeley
Berkeley, California

#1 in overall quality

$8,450 Average Net Price

$60,587 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 45 ’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,450 for Far Western US Region Nuclear Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Berkeley Nuclear Engineering Report

2

Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon

#2 in overall quality

$15,242 Average Net Price

$43,202 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Oregon State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Oregon State University is a large school located in Corvallis, Oregon that handed out 48 ’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Oregon State also made our “Best Nuclear Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Oregon State University is $15,242 for Far Western US Region Nuclear Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, 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 85%.

Full Oregon State Nuclear Engineering Report

• Best Value Colleges for Nuclear Engineering (Income $0-$30k)

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 Siemens Pressebild.