2023 Best Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region
Finding the Best Engineering School for You
In 2020-2021, 198,468 engineering students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #7 most popular in the country.
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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 23 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Engineering Colleges.
Top 10 Best Engineering Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Washington University in St Louis the best school in the Plains States Region for engineering students. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
Engineering majors at WUSTL take out an average of $19,988 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dunwoody College of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. Dunwoody College of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
While working on their degree, engineering majors at Dunwoody College of Technology accumulate an average of around $35,134 in student debt.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Iowa State University is a great place for engineering students. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, engineering majors at Iowa State accumulate an average of around $24,347 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $298, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. UNL is a very large public school located in the city of Lincoln.
Engineering majors at UNL take out an average of $22,640 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $236, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 23 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the town of Rolla, Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Engineering majors at Missouri University of Science and Technology take out an average of $25,089 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $346.
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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #6 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public school located in the city of Minneapolis.
While working on their degree, engineering majors at UMN Twin Cities accumulate an average of around $22,889 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 $194.
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Saint Louis University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Louis.
The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at SLU take out is $24,250.
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University of St Thomas Minnesota landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best engineering programs. UST MN is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
Engineering majors at UST MN take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #9, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on this year’s best schools for engineering students. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, engineering graduates from Mizzou take out $24,511 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $440, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Iowa ranked #10 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Iowa City.
Engineering majors at Iowa take out an average of $26,098 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $535.
Full Engineering at University of Iowa Report
Request InformationBest Engineering Colleges by State
Explore the best engineering colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 1,618 |
| Minnesota | 2,350 |
| Iowa | 2,616 |
| South Dakota | 569 |
| Missouri | 3,253 |
| Nebraska | 699 |
| North Dakota | 787 |
More Engineering Rankings in the Plains States Region
Engineering Related Rankings by Major
Engineering Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 46,178 |
| Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
| Civil Engineering | 21,388 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 12,811 |
| General Engineering | 11,796 |
| Industrial Engineering | 9,072 |
| Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | 8,001 |
| Systems Engineering | 3,904 |
| Materials Engineering | 3,415 |
| Other Engineering | 2,760 |
| Environmental Engineering | 2,759 |
| Operations Research | 1,698 |
| Agricultural Engineering | 1,472 |
| Engineering Science | 1,454 |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering. | 1,378 |
| Petroleum Engineering | 1,256 |
| Robotics Engineering | 1,243 |
| Architectural Engineering | 1,012 |
| Engineering Physics | 994 |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 947 |
| Construction Engineering | 878 |
| Nuclear Engineering | 864 |
| Marine Engineering | 445 |
| Biological Engineering | 410 |
| Polymer & Plastics Engineering | 360 |
| Geoscience Engineering | 325 |
| Mining Engineering | 314 |
| Textile Engineering | 310 |
| Ocean Engineering | 285 |
| Engineering Mechanics | 272 |
| Metallurgical Engineering | 179 |
| Energy Systems Engineering | 138 |
| Biochemical Engineering | 109 |
| Ceramic Engineering | 94 |
| Surveying Engineering | 73 |
| Electromechanical Engineering | 45 |
| Forest Engineering | 41 |
| Paper Science & Engineering | 27 |
| Engineering Chemistry | 13 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer & Information Sciences | 254,454 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 177,778 |
| Engineering Technologies | 85,188 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 52,396 |
| Physical Sciences | 50,306 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 23 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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