2023 Best Value General Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best General Engineering Bachelor's Degree 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value General Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 85 schools in the United States to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for engineering 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.
Top 15% Best General Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Western Carolina University to be the best value school for general engineering students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. Located in the distant town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCU are $8,367 per year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at WCU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $24,090.
Request Information
Out of the 85 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Maritime Academy landed the # 2 spot on the list. Maritime is a small public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Buzzards Bay.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Maritime are $25,104 per year.
Maritime excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools list.
Read full report on General Engineering at Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Request Information
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Grand Valley State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value general engineering schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public school with a fairly 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
Request Information
Out of the 85 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Olin College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Olin College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Needham.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Olin College are $56,342 a year.
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,732 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on General Engineering at San Jose State University
Request Information
McNeese State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. McNeese is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Lake Charles.
McNeese undergraduate students pay an average of $16,418 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at McNeese take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $25,733.
Read full report on General Engineering at McNeese State University
Request Information
Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for general engineering students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Minnesota State Mankato are $18,200 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, engineering majors at Minnesota State Mankato accumulate an average of around $22,272 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Minnesota State Mankato also did well on our Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on General Engineering at Minnesota State University - Mankato
Request Information
Tennessee Technological University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Tennessee Tech University are $19,834 a year.
Read full report on General Engineering at Tennessee Technological University
Request Information
With a ranking of #9, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public school with a fairly large student population.
OHIO Athens undergraduate students pay an average of $22,810 in tuition and fees each year.
Request Information
Harvey Mudd College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Harvey Mudd College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Claremont.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Harvey Mudd College are $60,703 a year. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $429.
Request Information
With a ranking of #11, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $18,726 per year.
Full General Engineering at California State University - Long Beach Report
Request Information
Florida International University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for general engineering students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list. FIU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Miami.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FIU are $18,963 a year.
Read full report on General Engineering at Florida International University
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 General Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 14 | University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN |
| 15 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 16 | Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ |
| 17 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
| 17 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 17 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
General Engineering by Region
View the Best Value General Engineering Bachelor's Degree 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.
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.