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Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

18 Colleges
$8,077 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,264 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology School for You

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology is the #154 most popular major in the country with 8,964 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 18 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for design engineering tech students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for design engineering tech majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools

#1

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN
$5,914 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Ridgewater College the best value school in the Plains States Region for drafting and design engineering technology students. Located in the remote town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ridgewater College are $5,914 a year.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Ridgewater College

$4,826 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Western Iowa Tech Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best drafting and design engineering technology schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Western Iowa Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,826 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Western Iowa Tech Community College

$5,010 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northeast Community College is a great value for drafting and design engineering technology students. 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

$3,780 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southeast Community College Area. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. Southeast Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Lincoln.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Community College are $3,780 per year. The average amount in student loans that design engineering tech majors at Southeast Community College take out is $16,500.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Southeast Community College Area

#5

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN
$5,741 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 18 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Hennepin Technical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public school 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

Alexandria Technical & Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public college with a small student population.

ATCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,910 in tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, ATCC also is in the top 20% of our Best Drafting & Design Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Alexandria Technical & Community College

With a ranking of #7, St Cloud Technical and Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drafting and design engineering technology students. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at St Cloud Technical and Community College are $5,874 per year. On average, design engineering tech graduates from St Cloud Technical and Community College take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at St Cloud Technical and Community College

$6,075 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Anoka Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drafting and design engineering technology students. Located in the large suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Anoka Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,075 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Anoka Technical College Report

$6,208 Average Tuition & Fees

Dakota County Technical College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drafting and design engineering technology programs. DCTC is a small public school located in the rural area of Rosemount.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at DCTC are $6,208 a year.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Dakota County Technical College

#10

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD
$7,650 Average Tuition & Fees

Southeast 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 #10 on the list. Southeast Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Sioux Falls.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Tech are $7,650 per year.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Southeast Technical College Report

Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Colleges by State

Explore the best drafting and design engineering technology colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 73
Minnesota 191
Kansas 64
Iowa 40
Nebraska 56
South Dakota 19

One of 18 majors within the area of study, drafting and design engineering technology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Design Engineering Tech

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 18 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.

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