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Best Value Engineering Schools in Michigan

2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Michigan

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

16 Colleges
$16,657 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$72,796 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Engineering School for You

Engineering is one of the most popular subjects to study in Michigan. With 8,586 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 4th out of all the majors we track in the state.

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 Engineering Schools in Michigan ranking. This report analyzed 16 schools in Michigan 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. 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 Engineering Schools

#1

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI
$13,188 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Ferris State University to be the best value school for engineering students who want to pursue a degree in Michigan. Located in the town of Big Rapids, Ferris is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Ferris undergraduate students pay an average of $13,188 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, engineering graduates from Ferris take out $24,535 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$13,900 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Valley State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Michigan list. GVSU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Allendale.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GVSU are $13,900 a year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at GVSU accumulate an average of around $25,717 in student debt.

In addition to its great value ranking, GVSU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Engineering Schools in Michigan list.

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#3

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, MI
$11,130 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saginaw Valley State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in Michigan list. Saginaw Valley State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of University Center.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saginaw Valley State University are $11,130 per year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at Saginaw Valley State University accumulate an average of around $23,000 in student debt.

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#4

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI
$15,966 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 16 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a very large student population.

Michigan State undergraduate students pay an average of $15,966 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, engineering graduates from Michigan State take out $25,002 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $385, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Michigan State is ranked #4 for overall quality for engineering in Michigan.

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$13,816 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Dearborn. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Michigan list. UM Dearborn is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Dearborn.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UM Dearborn are $13,816 per year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at UM Dearborn take out is $23,985. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $290.

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$17,193 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value engineering programs. U-M is a very large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at U-M are $17,193 per year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at U-M take out is $19,282. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $434.

U-M also made our Best Engineering Schools in Michigan list, coming in at #2.

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#7

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI
$13,094 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Central Michigan University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for engineering students. Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Michigan are $13,094 per year. On average, engineering graduates from Central Michigan take out $29,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $274.

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$18,215 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Michigan Technological University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for engineering students. Located in the remote town of Houghton, Michigan Tech is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Michigan Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $18,215 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Michigan Tech carry an average student debtload of $26,050. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $284, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Michigan Tech also took the #3 spot in our Best Engineering Schools in Michigan rankings.

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#9

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, MI
$15,135 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Oakland University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for engineering students. Oakland is a large public school located in the large suburb of Rochester Hills.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Oakland are $15,135 a year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at Oakland take out is $26,065. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $203.

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#10

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, MI
$13,200 Average Tuition & Fees

Lake Superior State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for engineering students. It came in at #10 on the list. Lake Superior State University is a small public school located in the town of Sault Ste Marie.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lake Superior State University are $13,200 a year.

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Best Value Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 5,383
Ohio 8,648
Illinois 6,581
Wisconsin 3,396

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

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 16 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 Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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