2023 Best Value Chemical Engineering Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Chemical Engineering School for You
Chemical Engineering is the #72 most popular major in the country with 12,917 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Chemical Engineering Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 159 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for chem eng students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Chemical Engineering Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Provo the best value school in the United States for chemical engineering students. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Provo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU are $6,120 a year. After completing their degree, chem eng graduates from BYU carry an average student debtload of $14,379.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, BYU also is in the top 20% of our Best Chemical Engineering Schools ranking.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Chemical Engineering Schools list. UPR Mayaguez is a large public school located in the city of Mayaguez.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UPR Mayaguez are $4,840 per year. Chem Eng majors at UPR Mayaguez take out an average of $7,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Austin Community College District is a great value for chemical engineering students. Located in the city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Austin Community College District are $10,590 a year.
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Out of the 159 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Akron Main Campus landed the # 4 spot on the list. University of Akron Main Campus is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Akron.
University of Akron Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that chem eng majors at University of Akron Main Campus take out is $19,500.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Youngstown State University is a great value for chemical engineering students. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the city of Youngstown.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year. While working on their degree, chem eng majors at Youngstown State University accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well on this year’s best value schools for chemical engineering students. Located in the distant town of Stevens Point, UW - Stevens Point is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Stevens Point are $17,035 per year. The average amount in student loans that chem eng majors at UW - Stevens Point take out is $27,852.
UW - Stevens Point excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Chemical Engineering Schools list.
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Louisiana Tech University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for chemical engineering students. It came in at #7 on the list. Louisiana Tech is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Ruston.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Louisiana Tech are $16,806 a year. While working on their degree, chem eng majors at Louisiana Tech accumulate an average of around $20,745 in student debt.
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University of North Dakota ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Chemical Engineering Schools list. UND is a fairly large public school located in the city of Grand Forks.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UND are $15,037 a year. After completing their degree, chem eng graduates from UND carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
UND also claimed a spot on our Best Chemical Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #9, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on this year’s best value schools for chemical engineering students. UMN Duluth is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Duluth.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UMN Duluth are $19,148 a year. While working on their degree, chem eng majors at UMN Duluth accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UMN Duluth also is in the top 15% of our Best Chemical Engineering Schools ranking.
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University of Houston landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value chemical engineering programs. Located in the city of Houston, UH is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UH undergraduate students pay an average of $21,891 in tuition and fees each year. Chem Eng majors at UH take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Texas Tech University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for chemical engineering students. It came in at #11 on the list. Texas Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Lubbock.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Texas Tech are $24,121 per year. While working on their degree, chem eng majors at Texas Tech accumulate an average of around $26,151 in student debt.
Texas Tech excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Chemical Engineering Schools list.
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South Dakota School of Mines and Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for chemical engineering students. It came in at #12 on the list. SD Mines is a small public school located in the small city of Rapid City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SD Mines are $16,530 per year. Chem Eng majors at SD Mines take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Lamar University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Chemical Engineering Schools list. Lamar University is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Beaumont.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lamar University are $18,482 a year. After completing their degree, chem eng graduates from Lamar University carry an average student debtload of $28,884.
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Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemical Engineering Schools ranking. Purdue is a very large public school located in the city of West Lafayette.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Purdue are $28,794 per year. The average amount in student loans that chem eng majors at Purdue take out is $19,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $435.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Purdue also did well on our Best Chemical Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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West Virginia University Institute of Technology came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the city of Beckley, West Virginia University Tech is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Virginia University Tech are $19,296 per year. The average amount in student loans that chem eng majors at West Virginia University Tech take out is $23,750.
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Iowa State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemical Engineering Schools ranking. Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ames.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Iowa State are $25,446 a year. While working on their degree, chem eng majors at Iowa State accumulate an average of around $22,464 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $159, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Iowa State also is in the top 10% of our Best Chemical Engineering Schools ranking.
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University of South Alabama came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Mobile, USA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at USA are $17,012 per year. The average amount in student loans that chem eng majors at USA take out is $25,340.
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University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for chemical engineering students. It came in at #18 on the list. USF Tampa is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Tampa.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at USF Tampa are $17,324 a year. Chem Eng majors at USF Tampa take out an average of $23,941 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Chemical Engineering at University of South Florida - Main Campus Report
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With a ranking of #19, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on this year’s best value schools for chemical engineering students. Located in the suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly Pomona are $19,319 per year. While working on their degree, chem eng majors at Cal Poly Pomona accumulate an average of around $21,000 in student debt.
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Tennessee Technological University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for chemical engineering students. It came in at #20 on the list. Tennessee Tech University is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Cookeville.
Tennessee Tech University undergraduate students pay an average of $19,834 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, chem eng majors at Tennessee Tech University accumulate an average of around $15,162 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #21, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for chemical engineering students. Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Georgia Tech are $33,964 a year. On average, chem eng graduates from Georgia Tech take out $27,125 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $553.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Georgia Tech also did well on our Best Chemical Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #21, North Carolina State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for chemical engineering students. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Raleigh.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NC State are $29,916 per year. While working on their degree, chem eng majors at NC State accumulate an average of around $24,250 in student debt.
NC State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Chemical Engineering Schools list.
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The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for chemical engineering students. It came in at #23 on the list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.
UT Austin undergraduate students pay an average of $40,996 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, chem eng majors at UT Austin accumulate an average of around $18,000 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $316.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UT Austin also did well on our Best Chemical Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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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 Chemical Engineering Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 25 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
| 26 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 27 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 28 | University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown | Johnstown, PA |
| 29 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
| 29 | North Carolina A & T State University | Greensboro, NC |
| 31 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
Chemical Engineering by Region
View the Best Value Chemical Engineering Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
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Chemical Engineering Related Majors for Chem Eng
Chemical Engineering is one of 40 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 46,178 |
| Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
| Civil Engineering | 21,388 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 12,811 |
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 Mikulova.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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