Which Petroleum Engineering Schools Are Best Value for Money?
Page Contents
The table on our front page uses our custom calculation to determine the best Petroleum Engineering school, but net price is only one of many ranking factors we consider. Saving us the trouble of doing a second set of calculations, Forbes magazine collaborate with Center for College Affordability and Productivity to rank every college in the USA according to the best value for money.
Their rankings are based on tuition costs, school quality, graduation success, and post-graduate earnings. An explanation of their methodology appears below the table.
11 of the top 300 offer Petroleum Engineering degrees.
The 11 Best Value Petroleum Engineering Universities and Colleges
The number in brackets indicates the college’s national ranking (across all subjects, not just Petroleum Engineering).
| PE Rank (All) | Admissions Info | School Name | S:F Ratio | Ret. Rate | Grad Rate | P.E. Degrees Awarded | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (12) | Stanford University Petroleum Engineering | 10 | 98% | 94% | 13 | $19,245 | |
| 2 (17) | University of Texas at Austin | 17 | 94% | 80% | 200 | $17,366 | |
| 3 (18) | Texas A&M University | 20 | 90% | 79% | 293 | $13,723 | |
| 4 (45) | Colorado School of Mines | 16 | 94% | 77% | 209 | $24,297 | |
| 5 (69) | University of Southern California (USC) | 9 | 97% | 92% | 90 | $31,384 | |
| 6 (95) | Pennsylvania State University | 17 | 93% | 86% | 185 | $24,992 | |
| 7 (158) | University of Tulsa | 11 | 88% | 68% | 96 | $25,355 | |
| 8 (160) | University of Pittsburgh | 14 | 93% | 82% | 12 | $24,311 | |
| 9 (249) | Louisiana State University | 22 | 85% | 67% | 165 | $13,552 | |
| 10 (269) | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 18 | 86% | 65% | 93 | $13,910 | |
| 11 (289) | Marietta College | 10 | 74% | 66% | 72 | $23,539 |
Methodology
Data was collected from various sources. Here are the categories and how much they contribute to the score:
| Category | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Quality | 35 |
| Drop-out risk | 15 |
| Graduation time | 15 |
| Alumni salaries | 25 |
| Alumni skills | 10 |
The final score is then divided by gross tuition and fees.
Quality
Based on a ranking of top colleges.
Drop-out risk
How many students fail to graduate within 6 years? Based on a Department of Education dataset.
Time to Graduation
Great schools have lower average time to graduation.
Post-grad Earnings
Using big data and federal income tax returns, estimates of mid-career earnings can be made.
Skills (Added Value)
This is an effort to show how much better a student is based on which school he went to. In short, how much value did the college add compared to what should be expected statistically.
Gross Tuition and Fees
The best estimate of total costs, without accounting for room and board.
Bottom Line
The bottom line is that although Stanford is expensive, going there will make you better off financially through the course of your career.
Having said that, the Petroleum Engineering department there is quite small - almost the smallest in the whole list.
In contrast, the next three contenders (Texas, Texas A&M, Colorado) have huge programs, with 200+ degrees awarded in 2014/2015.