2026 Best Value Ocean Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region
[Ocean Engineering](/majors/engineering/oe-ocean-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.
College Factual analyzed 9 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value ocean engineering schools.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Ocean Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the ocean engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Ocean Engineering Schools
Our analysis ranked Florida Atlantic University the best value for a degree in ocean engineering in the Southeast Region. Set in the city of Boca Raton, Florida Atlantic University is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,879, compared with $17,324 for out-of-state students. Ocean Engineering graduates carry a median of $29,000 in student loans. Early-career ocean engineering graduates make about $67,941. Set against $29,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Florida Atlantic University admits about 66% of applicants.
Florida Institute Of Technology is a great value for students pursuing a degree in ocean engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Melbourne, Florida Institute Of Technology is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,900. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the ocean engineering program here. Ocean Engineering graduates of Florida Institute Of Technology earn a median of $68,475 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Florida Institute Of Technology admits about 58% of applicants.
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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 · 9 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
