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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Nuclear Engineering

17 Ranked Colleges
477 Degrees Awarded
$17,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Nuclear Engineering is the 233rd most popular major in the country with 948 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, nuclear engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $61,244 and had an average of $23,833 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 477 nuclear engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in nuclear engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent nuclear 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 nuclear engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Nuclear Engineering Schools

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

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree nuclear engineering students.

Top 17 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Nuclear Engineering

#1

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 27 bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,986 for Bachelor’s Degree Nuclear Engineering students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus

#2

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Carolina State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s. NC State is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 19 bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State also took the #8 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NC State is $16,458 for Bachelor’s Degree Nuclear Engineering students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full NC State Nuclear Engineering Report

#3

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nuclear engineering students in 2019-2020.

UF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UF is $6,302 for bachelor’s degree nuclear engineering students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full University of Florida Nuclear Engineering Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Missouri University of Science and Technology. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public institution located in Rolla, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Missouri University of Science and Technology also took the #13 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology is $14,262 for bachelor’s degree nuclear engineering students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, 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 Missouri University of Science and Technology Nuclear Engineering Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Georgia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Tech is $14,739 for bachelor’s degree nuclear engineering students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Nuclear Engineering at Georgia Tech

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UT Knoxville is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees to qualified students.

UT Knoxville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Knoxville is $18,825 for bachelor’s degree nuclear engineering students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UT Knoxville Nuclear Engineering Report

#7

South Carolina State University

Orangeburg, South Carolina

South Carolina State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, this small public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nuclear engineering students in 2019-2020.

South Carolina State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend South Carolina State University is $20,795 for Bachelor’s Degree Nuclear Engineering students.

Read more about Nuclear Engineering at South Carolina State University

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 30 bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree nuclear engineering students list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree nuclear engineering students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Nuclear Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#9

Idaho State University

Pocatello, Idaho
#16 in overall quality

Idaho State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Pocatello, Idaho is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ISU, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Idaho State University is $16,810 for Bachelor’s Degree Nuclear Engineering students.

Read more about Nuclear Engineering at ISU

#10

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. UNM is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $14,446 for bachelor’s degree nuclear engineering students.

Read more about Nuclear Engineering at UNM

#11

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon

Oregon State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Corvallis, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.

Oregon State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oregon State is $20,016 for Bachelor’s Degree Nuclear Engineering students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Nuclear Engineering at Oregon State University

#12

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - College Station is $19,057 for bachelor’s degree nuclear engineering students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 more about Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University - College Station

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Nuclear Engineering students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Nuclear Engineering at UW - Madison

#14

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #5 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $15,329 for Bachelor’s Degree Nuclear Engineering students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low 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 Nuclear Engineering at UC Berkeley

#15

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree nuclear engineering students list, U-M has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $15,336 for Bachelor’s Degree Nuclear Engineering students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full U-M Nuclear Engineering Report

#16

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#1 in overall quality

Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s nuclear engineering students in 2019-2020.

MIT also took the #1 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $16,636 for Bachelor’s Degree Nuclear Engineering students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full MIT Nuclear Engineering Report

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nuclear Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. RPI is located in Troy, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s nuclear engineering degrees to qualified students.

RPI also took the #3 spot in our “Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend RPI is $35,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Nuclear Engineering students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Nuclear Engineering at RPI

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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.

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