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Best Value General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

10 Colleges
$42,778 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$58,911 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Engineering School for You

With 451 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, general engineering is the #87 most popular major in Pennsylvania.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. This report analyzed 10 schools in Pennsylvania 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania

The following schools top our list of the Best Value General Engineering Colleges.

Top 10 Best General Engineering Schools

#1

Villanova University

Villanova, PA
$59,020 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Villanova University the best value school in Pennsylvania for general engineering students. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Villanova.

Villanova undergraduate students pay an average of $59,020 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Villanova is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Read More…

$20,362 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania list. Pitt is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Pitt are $20,362 a year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at Pitt accumulate an average of around $23,875 in student debt.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Pitt also did well on our Best General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full General Engineering at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Report

#3

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA
$17,378 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 10 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Temple University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Temple are $17,378 per year.

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#4

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA
$58,524 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Carnegie Mellon are $58,524 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Carnegie Mellon is ranked #2 for overall quality for engineering in Pennsylvania.

Read More…

#5

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown, PA
$34,600 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Elizabethtown College is a great value for general engineering students. Etown is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Elizabethtown.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Etown are $34,600 per year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at Etown take out is $27,000.

Etown excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Read full report on General Engineering at Elizabethtown College

#6

Lafayette College

Easton, PA
$56,364 Average Tuition & Fees

Lafayette College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the large suburb of Easton, Lafayette is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Lafayette undergraduate students pay an average of $56,364 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at Lafayette accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt.

Lafayette also took the #4 spot in our Best General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.

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#7

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA
$56,056 Average Tuition & Fees

Swarthmore College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the large suburb of Swarthmore, Swarthmore is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Swarthmore are $56,056 per year.

Swarthmore not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Read full report on General Engineering at Swarthmore College

#8

Geneva College

Beaver Falls, PA
$29,970 Average Tuition & Fees

Geneva College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general engineering students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Beaver Falls, Geneva is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Geneva are $29,970 per year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at Geneva take out is $27,000.

Full General Engineering at Geneva College Report

#9

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA
$38,370 Average Tuition & Fees

Messiah University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Messiah are $38,370 per year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at Messiah accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.

Read More…

#10

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA
$57,136 Average Tuition & Fees

Drexel University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Drexel are $57,136 a year.

Read full report on General Engineering at Drexel University

Best Value General Engineering Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value General Engineering Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 617
Maryland 787
New Jersey 252
District of Columbia 1

General Engineering is one of 40 different types of programs to choose from.

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 10 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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