College ROI Report
Updated 2024
Best-value Colleges for Engineering
Payscale’s College ROI Report ranks colleges based on the 20-year salary earnings of college alumni minus the total investment to attend that college (factoring in financial aid) compared to the 24-year earnings of high school graduate without a bachelor’s degree.
Choosing a college can be challenging, but if you know you want to major in engineering and are seeking the best value college for engineering majors, you have come to the right place.
| Rank | School Name | 20 Year Net ROI | Total 4 Year Cost | Graduation Rate | Typical Years to Graduate | Average Loan Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:21 | School Name: | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,276,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$273,000 | Graduation Rate:83% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$33,200 |
| Rank:22 | School Name:_50px.png) University of California-Santa Barbara (In-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,276,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$149,000 | Graduation Rate:86% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$29,800 |
| Rank:23 | School Name: University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus (In-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,275,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$124,000 | Graduation Rate:76% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$37,700 |
| Rank:24 | School Name: Harvey Mudd College (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,274,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$326,000 | Graduation Rate:92% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$29,900 |
| Rank:25 | School Name:_50px.png) United States Merchant Marine Academy (Service Academy) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,270,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$24,500 | Graduation Rate:77% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$17,300 |
| Rank:26 | School Name:_50px.jpg) San Jose State University (In-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,266,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$119,000 | Graduation Rate:68% | Typical Years to Graduate:5 | Average Loan Amount:$22,400 |
| Rank:27 | School Name: Rice University (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,265,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$283,000 | Graduation Rate:94% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$43,300 |
| Rank:28 | School Name:_50px.gif) University of Houston (In-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,262,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$99,500 | Graduation Rate:63% | Typical Years to Graduate:5 | Average Loan Amount:$25,500 |
| Rank:29 | School Name: George Mason University (In-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,253,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$121,000 | Graduation Rate:71% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$32,300 |
| Rank:30 | School Name: Texas Tech University (Out-of-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,251,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$153,000 | Graduation Rate:64% | Typical Years to Graduate:5 | Average Loan Amount:$33,400 |
If you’re a problem solver who loves math and science, becoming an engineering major would suit you. Engineers take scientific and mathematical principles and apply them to real-life situations to determine the best possible outcome(s) — tinkering at its finest!
Payscale’s College ROI Report ranks the best value engineering colleges where your investment will gain the highest return according to the accumulative salary you will earn over 20 years minus the cost to attend college compared to getting a high school diploma only.
To add dimension to the best value colleges for engineering majors, you can filter by whether or not you plan to live on campus, whether or not you will qualify for financial aid, and toggle between total new earnings and the ranking percentage of your return. This will help you select a school based on your plans from among the nation’s best value colleges for engineer majors.
Take your pick!
Interested in the best value colleges by another major? Explore Payscale’s ranked lists for each major or check out the complete lists of best value colleges by ROI.
More rankings for best-value colleges:
Put a badge on it
Did your school rank well in one or more of the categories of the 2024 Payscale College ROI Report? You can easily share that good news with the world by placing a College ROI Report badge on your website.
EMBED CODE:
College salary report
Get up-to-date information on which colleges, degrees, and majors pay the most with breakouts for bachelor's degrees and associate's degrees by state and by type as well as common jobs by major with mid-career median pay.
Go to the report
The impact of a college degree on compensation
Learn how a bachelor’s degree affects salaries and which jobs see the most differentiation and get thought leadership and HR industry insights on how to manage graduate pay premiums and prepare for skills-based pay.
Go to the report