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2026 Best Value Architectural Engineering Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

[Architectural Engineering](/majors/engineering/architectural-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 2 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for architectural engineering students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Architectural Engineering Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

2026 Best Value Architectural Engineering Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in architectural engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Architectural Engineering Schools

1

Pennsylvania State University Main Campus
University Park, PA

$20,644 In-State Tuition & Fees

$63,435 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in architectural engineering, no school beat Pennsylvania State University Main Campus this year. Set in the city of University Park, Pennsylvania State University Main Campus is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $20,644, while out-of-state students pay about $41,790. Median earnings reach $63,435 ten years out. The acceptance rate is 61%.

2

Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA

$62,412 In-State Tuition & Fees

$31,000 Avg Student Debt

$84,648 Median Earnings (10yr)

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Drexel University earned it the #2 place for architectural engineering. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel University is a very large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $62,412. Architectural Engineering graduates carry a median of $31,000 in student loans. Early-career architectural engineering graduates make about $76,272. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 79%.

View All Architectural Engineering Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked 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 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.