2023 Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology School for You
In 2020-2021, 8,964 people earned a degree or certificate in drafting and design engineering technology, making the major the #154 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 123 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for design engineering tech students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools
Our analysis found Lee College to be the best value school for drafting and design engineering technology students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Lee College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Baytown.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lee College are $4,302 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Lee College also is in the top 20% of our Best Drafting & Design Engineering Schools ranking.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Lee College Report
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Baton Rouge Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools list. BRCC is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Baton Rouge.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BRCC are $4,221 a year.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Baton Rouge Community College Report
Request Information
Out of the 123 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Ridgewater College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ridgewater College are $5,914 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Ridgewater College also did well on our Best Drafting & Design Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Ridgewater College Report
Request Information
Out of the 123 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Iowa Tech Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Western Iowa Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,826 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Western Iowa Tech Community College Report
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northeast Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools list. Located in the town of Norfolk, Northeast is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northeast are $5,010 a year.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Northeast Community College Report
Request Information
Tyler Junior College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools list. Tyler Junior College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tyler.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 per year.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Tyler Junior College Report
Request Information
Southeast Community College Area did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drafting and design engineering technology students. It came in at #7 on the list. Southeast Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Lincoln.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southeast Community College are $3,780 a year. After completing their degree, design engineering tech graduates from Southeast Community College carry an average student debtload of $16,500.
Request Information
Waukesha County Technical College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools ranking. WCTC is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Pewaukee.
WCTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,603 in tuition and fees each year. On average, design engineering tech graduates from WCTC take out $14,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Waukesha County Technical College
Request Information
With a ranking of #9, Fletcher Technical Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drafting and design engineering technology students. Fletcher Technical Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Schriever.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Fletcher Technical Community College are $3,981 a year.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Fletcher Technical Community College Report
Request Information
SOWELA Technical Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the city of Lake Charles, SOWELA is a public school with a small student population.
SOWELA undergraduate students pay an average of $4,265 in tuition and fees each year.
Request Information
Hennepin Technical College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drafting and design engineering technology programs. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
Hennepin Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,741 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Hennepin Technical College Report
Request Information
Madison Area Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drafting and design engineering technology students. It came in at #12 on the list. Madison College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Madison College are $6,769 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Madison College is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Drafting & Design Engineering Schools list.
Request Information
Alexandria Technical & Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drafting and design engineering technology programs. Located in the remote town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ATCC are $5,910 a year.
ATCC also claimed a spot on our Best Drafting & Design Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Request Information
St Cloud Technical and Community College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools list. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at St Cloud Technical and Community College are $5,874 a year. The average amount in student loans that design engineering tech majors at St Cloud Technical and Community College take out is $12,000.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, St Cloud Technical and Community College also is in the top 15% of our Best Drafting & Design Engineering Schools ranking.
Request Information
Chippewa Valley Technical College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drafting and design engineering technology programs. CVTC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Eau Claire.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CVTC are $6,683 per year.
CVTC also claimed a spot on our Best Drafting & Design Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Request Information
With a ranking of #16, San Jacinto Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drafting and design engineering technology students. San Jacinto College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Pasadena.
San Jacinto College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,040 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at San Jacinto Community College Report
Request Information
Alpena Community College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drafting and design engineering technology programs. Alpena Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Alpena.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Alpena Community College are $7,860 per year.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Alpena Community College Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #18, Amarillo College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drafting and design engineering technology students. Located in the midsize city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Amarillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,704 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Amarillo College Report
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | South Louisiana Community College | Lafayette, LA |
| 20 | Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses | Fort Wayne, IN |
| 21 | Georgia Northwestern Technical College | Rome, GA |
| 22 | Spokane Community College | Spokane, WA |
| 23 | Fox Valley Technical College | Appleton, WI |
| 24 | Anoka Technical College | Anoka, MN |
Drafting & Design Engineering Technology by Region
View the Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Rankings
Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Related Majors for Design Engineering Tech
One of 18 majors within the area of study, drafting and design engineering technology has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Industrial Production Technology | 11,906 |
| Electromechanical Engineering Technology | 10,593 |
| Environmental Control Technology | 8,690 |
| Electronics Engineering Technology | 8,592 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 6,736 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Pixabay.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© 2025 Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.