2023 Best Value Colleges for Polymer & Plastics Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 360 people earned their degree in polymer and plastics engineering, making the major the 293rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, polymer and plastics engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $62,838 and had an average of $26,051 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 71 polymer and plastics engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $26,222 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in polymer and plastics engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great polymer and plastics engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the polymer and plastics 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

The polymer engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Polymer & Plastics Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

1

University of Wisconsin - Stout
Menomonie, Wisconsin

#3 in overall quality

$10,958 Average Net Price

$46,261 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Wisconsin - Stout is a medium-sized public school situated in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It awarded 12 ’s polymer engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Stout, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Polymer & Plastics Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stout is $10,958 for Great Lakes Region Polymer Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Polymer & Plastics Engineering at UW - Stout

2

Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio

#1 in overall quality

$15,570 Average Net Price

$62,001 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Case Western Reserve University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 37 ’s polymer engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Case Western not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Polymer & Plastics Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,570 for great lakes region polymer engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Case Western Reserve University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Polymer & Plastics Engineering at Case Western

3

University of Akron Main Campus
Akron, Ohio

#2 in overall quality

$15,510 Average Net Price

$43,222 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Akron Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Akron Main Campus is a public institution located in Akron, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Akron Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Polymer & Plastics Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $15,510 for Great Lakes Region Polymer Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Polymer & Plastics Engineering at University of Akron Main Campus

• Best Value Colleges for Polymer & Plastics Engineering (Income $30-$48k)

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 Cjp24.