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2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid

355 Ranked Colleges
198,468 Degrees Awarded
$12,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting 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 Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 198,468 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, engineering is the 7th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,653 and had an average of $23,855 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 355 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great engineering programs and 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 engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for engineering students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (With Aid)

1
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 2,403 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $5,135 for engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at University of Florida

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 1,121 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our engineering students with aid list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $12,894 for Engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Engineering at Stanford University

3

Out of the 355 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,594 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle excels when it comes to engineering quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $12,017 for Engineering students with aid per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Engineering at UW Seattle

4
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 3,177 students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Purdue also did well on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $13,377 for Engineering students with aid per year to attend Purdue.

The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Engineering at Purdue

5

Out of the 355 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #5 spot on the list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 94 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,469 for Engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.

Read full report on Engineering at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

6
MIT crest
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,143 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

MIT also made our “Best Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $16,407 for Engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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 Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

7
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #7, Harvard University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 292 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Harvard also made our “Best Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $13,872 for Engineering students with aid per year to attend Harvard.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at Harvard University

8
CCNY crest
The City College of New York
New York, New York

The City College of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 553 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,805 for Engineering students with aid per year to attend The City College of New York.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at The City College of New York

9

Austin Community College District came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Austin Community College District is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 97 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Austin Community College District is $7,224 for engineering students with aid.

Full Austin Community College District Engineering Report

10

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 1,342 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for engineering students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Engineering at UCLA

10

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 2,789 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $14,878 for Engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full U-M Engineering Report

12

The University of Texas at Austin came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 1,960 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Austin is also in the top of our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $18,350 for Engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin

13

With a ranking of #13, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 2,695 students in 2020-2021.

UIUC also claimed a top spot on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $14,321 for engineering students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIUC Engineering Report

14

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 387 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $3,302 for engineering students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Full Cal State LA Engineering Report

15
Wake Technical Community College crest
Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh, North Carolina

Wake Technical Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Wake Technical Community College is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 133 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Wake Technical Community College is $6,767 for Engineering students with aid.

Read full report on Engineering at Wake Technical Community College

16

With a ranking of #16, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 2,047 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCSD is also in the top of our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $15,240 for engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.

Full University of California - San Diego Engineering Report

17

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 1,573 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also claimed a top spot on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,234 for engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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 95%.

Full UW - Madison Engineering Report

18

University of California - Berkeley ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,982 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $16,032 for engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, 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 University of California - Berkeley Engineering Report

19

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 3,407 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our engineering students with aid list, Georgia Tech has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Tech is $14,974 for Engineering students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

20

The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 1,031 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UT Dallas is $15,526 for Engineering students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas

21
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 331 students in 2020-2021.

Princeton also took the #13 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton University is $9,836 for engineering students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Engineering at Princeton University

22

Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is a small school located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that handed out 39 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is $9,421 for engineering students with aid.

Read full report on Engineering at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology

23
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. North Carolina State University is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 2,631 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

NC State excels when it comes to engineering quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for NC State is $16,411 for engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Full NC State Engineering Report

24

University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. USF Tampa is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 943 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $8,346 for engineering students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Engineering at University of South Florida - Main Campus

25
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school awarded 749 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $22,006 for engineering students with aid per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at University of Virginia - Main Campus

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas
39
40
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
41
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
42
43
44
Maritime crest
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
45
46
47
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California
48
49
50
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Engineering Schools For Those Getting Aid

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
52 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
53 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
54 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA

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Notes and References

References

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