2027 Best Value Petroleum Engineering Master’s Degree Schools

[Petroleum Engineering](/majors/engineering/petroleum-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 8 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
Our analysis ranked University Of Houston the best value for a degree in petroleum engineering in the United States. University Of Houston is a very large public school located in the city of Houston. In-state tuition and fees average $9,717, with out-of-state students paying around $22,547. Petroleum Engineering graduates carry a median of $23,366 in student loans. 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.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Tulsa one of the best values for petroleum engineering. University Of Tulsa is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Tulsa. In-state tuition and fees average $49,546. Petroleum Engineering graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Early-career petroleum engineering graduates make about $62,482. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Tulsa admits about 62% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus earned it the #3 place for petroleum engineering. University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a very large public school located in the suburb of Norman. Students from in state pay about $9,797 in tuition and fees, compared with $27,377 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for petroleum engineering graduates is $24,625. Early-career petroleum engineering graduates make about $61,223. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 77%.
A rank of #4 makes University Of North Dakota one of the best values for petroleum engineering. Set in the city of Grand Forks, University Of North Dakota is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $10,951 in tuition and fees, compared with $15,570 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for petroleum engineering graduates is $27,000. Early-career petroleum engineering graduates make about $73,821. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of North Dakota admits about 77% of applicants.
A rank of #5 makes Texas Tech University one of the best values for petroleum engineering. Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech University is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,852, compared with $24,157 for out-of-state students. Petroleum Engineering graduates carry a median of $26,090 in student loans. Soon after graduation, petroleum engineering degree recipients from Texas Tech University generally make around $80,460. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 73% of applicants are accepted.
The University Of Texas At Austin ranked #6 on our 2027 list of the best value petroleum engineering schools. Located in the city of Austin, The University Of Texas At Austin is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,688, while out-of-state students pay about $44,908. Students borrow a median of $17,239 to complete the petroleum engineering program here. Soon after graduation, petroleum engineering degree recipients from The University Of Texas At Austin generally make around $86,761. Set against $17,239 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 27% of applicants are accepted.
Texas A And M University College Station came in at #7 for value in petroleum engineering this year. 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, compared with $40,124 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $19,000 to complete the petroleum engineering program here. Early-career petroleum engineering graduates make about $171,571. Set against $19,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Texas A And M University College Station admits about 57% of applicants.
University Of Southern California placed #8 among the best values for petroleum engineering. Set in the city of Los Angeles, University Of Southern California is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $71,647 in tuition and fees. Petroleum Engineering graduates carry a median of $15,625 in student loans. Early-career petroleum engineering graduates make about $75,677. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 10% of applicants are accepted.
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 list is compiled 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 · 8 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 8 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.