2027 Best Value Petroleum Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools
[Petroleum Engineering](/majors/engineering/petroleum-engineering/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 13 schools to find the best return on investment for petroleum engineering students.
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2027 Best Value Petroleum Engineering Schools in the United States
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in petroleum engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Petroleum Engineering Schools
For return on investment in petroleum engineering, no school beat The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin this year. Located in the city of Odessa, The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,607, compared with $21,900 for out-of-state students. Petroleum Engineering graduates carry a median of $24,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, petroleum engineering degree recipients from The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin generally make around $61,299. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 95%.
Students looking for strong value in petroleum engineering will find it at University Of Wyoming, which ranked #2. Set in the town of Laramie, University Of Wyoming is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $7,768 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $24,178. Petroleum Engineering graduates carry a median of $24,638 in student loans. Soon after graduation, petroleum engineering degree recipients from University Of Wyoming generally make around $66,221. That is a strong return on a $24,638 median debt. Roughly 97% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Houston earned it the #3 place for petroleum engineering. Located in the city of Houston, University Of Houston is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,717, while out-of-state students pay about $22,547. Students borrow a median of $23,366 to complete the petroleum engineering program here. Early-career petroleum engineering graduates make about $52,295. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Houston admits about 74% of applicants.
University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best value petroleum engineering schools. University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a very large public school located in the suburb of Norman. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,797, while out-of-state students pay about $27,377. Petroleum Engineering graduates carry a median of $24,625 in student loans. Early-career petroleum engineering graduates make about $61,223. Set against $24,625 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in petroleum engineering will find it at West Virginia University, which ranked #5. Set in the city of Morgantown, West Virginia University is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,104, while out-of-state students pay about $28,608. Typical student debt for petroleum engineering graduates is $26,000. Soon after graduation, petroleum engineering degree recipients from West Virginia University generally make around $68,913. Set against $26,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. West Virginia University admits about 89% of applicants.
Montana Tech Of The University Of Montana earned the #6 position for value in petroleum engineering this year. Located in the town of Butte, Montana Tech Of The University Of Montana is a small public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,289, while out-of-state students pay about $26,094. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the petroleum engineering program here. Petroleum Engineering graduates of Montana Tech Of The University Of Montana earn a median of $69,212 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Montana Tech Of The University Of Montana admits about 91% of applicants.
Texas Tech University came in at #7 for value in petroleum engineering this year. Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech University is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,852, while out-of-state students pay about $24,157. Students borrow a median of $26,090 to complete the petroleum engineering program here. Petroleum Engineering graduates of Texas Tech University earn a median of $80,460 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $26,090 median debt. Texas Tech University admits about 73% of applicants.
Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College earned the #8 position for value in petroleum engineering this year. Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College is a very large public school located in the city of Baton Rouge. Students from in state pay about $11,954 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $28,631. Typical student debt for petroleum engineering graduates is $25,750. Petroleum Engineering graduates of Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College earn a median of $56,605 early in their careers. Set against $25,750 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College admits about 73% of applicants.
The University Of Texas At Austin landed the #9 spot for petroleum engineering value this year. Set in the city of Austin, The University Of Texas At Austin is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,688, with out-of-state students paying around $44,908. Typical student debt for petroleum engineering graduates is $17,239. Petroleum Engineering graduates of The University Of Texas At Austin earn a median of $86,761 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $17,239 median debt. The University Of Texas At Austin admits about 27% of applicants.
Texas A And M University College Station ranked #10 on our 2027 list of the best value petroleum engineering schools. Located in the city of College Station, Texas A And M University College Station is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,995, with out-of-state students paying around $40,124. Petroleum Engineering graduates carry a median of $19,000 in student loans. Early-career petroleum engineering graduates make about $69,603. Set against $19,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 57%.
Marietta College earned the #11 position for value in petroleum engineering this year. Marietta College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Marietta. In-state tuition and fees average $39,652. Typical student debt for petroleum engineering graduates is $27,000. Early-career petroleum engineering graduates make about $82,205. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 79%.
Colorado School Of Mines placed #12 among the best values for petroleum engineering. Set in the suburb of Golden, Colorado School Of Mines is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $21,914, compared with $45,824 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for petroleum engineering graduates is $27,000. Early-career petroleum engineering graduates make about $77,400. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 61%.
Pennsylvania State University Main Campus earned the #13 position for value in petroleum engineering this year. Set in the city of University Park, Pennsylvania State University Main Campus is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $20,644, while out-of-state students pay about $41,790. Typical student debt for petroleum engineering graduates is $22,368. Petroleum Engineering graduates of Pennsylvania State University Main Campus earn a median of $85,795 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 61%.
Other Petroleum Engineering Degree Levels
Explore the best-value petroleum engineering schools at other degree levels:
View All Petroleum Engineering Rankings >
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 13 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 13 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.
