2023 Best Value General Engineering Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best General Engineering School for You
In 2020-2021, 11,796 people earned a degree or certificate in general engineering, making the major the #80 most popular in the United States.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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 General Engineering Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 179 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for engineering students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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.
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2023 Best Value General Engineering Schools in the United States
Check out the engineering programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in General Engineering
Our 2023 rankings named Wake Technical Community College the best value school in the United States for general engineering students. Located in the large suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Wake Technical Community College are $8,912 a year. After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Wake Technical Community College carry an average student debtload of $8,000.
Out of the 179 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Austin Community College District landed the # 2 spot on the list. Austin Community College District is a very large public school located in the city of Austin.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Austin Community College District are $10,590 a year. On average, engineering graduates from Austin Community College District take out $14,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on General Engineering at Austin Community College District
Out of the 179 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Monroe Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Rochester, Monroe Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Monroe Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,368 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at Monroe Community College accumulate an average of around $10,000 in student debt.
Out of the 179 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, West Texas A&M University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
West Texas A&M University undergraduate students pay an average of $11,208 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on General Engineering at West Texas A&M University
Out of the 179 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Youngstown State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year.
Full General Engineering at Youngstown State University Report
Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a fairly large student population.
ASU - Skysong undergraduate students pay an average of $13,092 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, ASU - Skysong is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best General Engineering Schools list.
With a ranking of #7, Western Carolina University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general engineering students. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WCU are $8,367 a year. After completing their degree, engineering graduates from WCU carry an average student debtload of $25,600.
Full General Engineering at Western Carolina University Report
Louisiana Tech University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Ruston, Louisiana Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Louisiana Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $16,806 in tuition and fees each year.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Engineering Schools list. UNL is a very large public school located in the city of Lincoln.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNL are $26,720 per year.
UNL also claimed a spot on our Best General Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Engineering Schools ranking. Maritime is a small public school located in the suburb of Buzzards Bay.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Maritime are $25,104 a year.
Maritime excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best General Engineering Schools list.
Read full report on General Engineering at Massachusetts Maritime Academy
With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general engineering students. Located in the distant town of Platteville, UW - Platteville is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Platteville are $16,483 a year.
UW - Platteville excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Engineering Schools list.
University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general engineering students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public college with a fairly large student population.
University of Akron Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
Villanova University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Villanova are $59,020 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Villanova also did well on our Best General Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Purdue University Northwest ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value General Engineering Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Hammond, Purdue Northwest is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Purdue Northwest are $14,349 per year.
With a ranking of #15, Grand Valley State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general engineering students. Located in the suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public school with a very large student population.
GVSU undergraduate students pay an average of $19,628 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on General Engineering at Grand Valley State University
Oklahoma Christian University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the city of Edmond, OC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
OC undergraduate students pay an average of $25,090 in tuition and fees each year.
Lake Superior State University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general engineering programs. Located in the remote town of Sault Ste Marie, Lake Superior State University is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lake Superior State University are $13,200 per year.
Full General Engineering at Lake Superior State University Report
Lamar University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general engineering students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the city of Beaumont, Lamar University is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lamar University are $18,482 a year.
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general engineering students. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UW - Madison undergraduate students pay an average of $38,608 in tuition and fees each year.
UW - Madison excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best General Engineering Schools list.
San Jose State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general engineering students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,732 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, San Jose State also did well on our Best General Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on General Engineering at San Jose State University
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general engineering programs. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a very large student population.
UCLA undergraduate students pay an average of $43,012 in tuition and fees each year.
UCLA also claimed a spot on our Best General Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles
Central Michigan University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value General Engineering Schools list. Central Michigan is a large public school located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant.
Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in tuition and fees each year.
With a ranking of #23, South Dakota State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general engineering students. Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, South Dakota State also is in the top 15% of our Best General Engineering Schools ranking.
Full General Engineering at South Dakota State University Report
Michigan Technological University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general engineering programs. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Houghton.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Michigan Tech are $39,723 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Michigan Tech also did well on our Best General Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on General Engineering at Michigan Technological University
Rowan University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value General Engineering Schools list. Rowan is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Glassboro.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Rowan are $23,408 a year.
Rest of the Top Best Value General Engineering Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for General Engineering students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value General Engineering Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 28 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | Rapid City, SD |
| 29 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL |
| 30 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 31 | Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, IN |
| 32 | Olin College | Needham, MA |
| 32 | Arkansas State University - Main Campus | Jonesboro, AR |
| 34 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| 35 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona, CA |
General Engineering by Region
View the Best Value General 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 General Engineering Rankings
Majors Related to Engineering
One of 40 majors within the area of study, general engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 46,178 |
| Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
| Civil Engineering | 21,388 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
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 Rémi Kaupp.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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