2023 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Civil Engineering School for You
Civil Engineering is the #50 most popular major in the country with 21,388 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for civil eng 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. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Civil Engineering Schools
Our analysis found North Dakota State University - Main Campus to be the best value school for civil engineering students who want to pursue a degree in the Plains States Region . Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.
North Dakota State University undergraduate students pay an average of $14,876 in tuition and fees each year. On average, civil eng graduates from North Dakota State University take out $23,600 in student loans while working on their degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Dakota State University also is in the top 20% of our Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend South Dakota State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Dakota State are $12,809 per year. While working on their degree, civil eng majors at South Dakota State accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
South Dakota State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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The excellent programs at University of North Dakota helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best civil engineering schools in the Plains States Region . UND is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Grand Forks.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UND are $15,037 a year. On average, civil eng graduates from UND take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. SD Mines is a small public school located in the small city of Rapid City.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SD Mines are $16,530 a year. Civil Eng majors at SD Mines take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Minnesota - Duluth is a great value for civil engineering students. UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public school located in the small 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, civil eng majors at UMN Duluth accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.
Full Civil Engineering at University of Minnesota - Duluth Report
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNL are $26,720 a year. The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at UNL take out is $24,625. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $183.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UNL also did well on our Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #7, Iowa State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for civil engineering students. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the city of Ames.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa State are $25,446 per year. The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at Iowa State take out is $26,125. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $183.
Iowa State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Mankato.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $18,200 per year. After completing their degree, civil eng graduates from Minnesota State Mankato carry an average student debtload of $28,061.
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With a ranking of #9, University of Kansas did quite well on this year’s best value schools for civil engineering students. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
KU undergraduate students pay an average of $28,034 in tuition and fees each year. On average, civil eng graduates from KU take out $25,875 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Missouri University of Science and Technology ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Rolla.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Missouri University of Science and Technology are $31,099 per year. While working on their degree, civil eng majors at Missouri University of Science and Technology accumulate an average of around $25,125 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $273.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Missouri University of Science and Technology also is in the top 10% of our Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
Request InformationBest Civil Engineering Colleges by State
Explore the best civil engineering colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 322 |
| Minnesota | 201 |
| Kansas | 150 |
| Iowa | 264 |
| Nebraska | 130 |
| North Dakota | 123 |
| South Dakota | 110 |
More Civil Engineering Rankings in the Plains States Region
Civil Engineering Related Majors for Civil Eng
Civil 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 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 12,811 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 19 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 Master Sgt. Roger Parsons.
More about our data sources and methodologies.