2023 Best Value Colleges for Polymer & Plastics Engineering in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the polymer and plastics engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Getting Aid”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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 Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Polymer & Plastics Engineering in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

1

University of Wisconsin - Stout
Menomonie, Wisconsin

#3 in overall quality

$15,589 Average Net Price

$46,261 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #1 spot on the 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.

UW - Stout also made our “Best Polymer & Plastics Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $15,589 for great lakes region polymer engineering students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout.

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 more about Polymer & Plastics Engineering at UW - Stout

2

University of Akron Main Campus
Akron, Ohio

#2 in overall quality

$17,945 Average Net Price

$43,222 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Akron Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Akron, Ohio. It awarded 22 ’s polymer engineering 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 $17,945 for great lakes region polymer engineering students with aid.

Read more about Polymer & Plastics Engineering at University of Akron Main Campus

3

Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio

#1 in overall quality

$34,214 Average Net Price

$62,001 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Case Western Reserve University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Polymer Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Case Western Reserve University is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s polymer engineering degrees to qualified students.

Case Western also made our “Best Polymer & Plastics Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $34,214 for great lakes region polymer engineering students with aid 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.

Full Case Western Polymer & Plastics Engineering Report

• Best Value Colleges for Polymer & Plastics Engineering (With Aid)

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.