Best Value Colleges for Mining and Mineral Engineering
Schools ranked by payback period — how quickly you recoup your investment through higher earnings.
9
Schools Ranked
$72,530
Avg. Earnings
1.3 yrs
Best Payback
169
Graduates
How we calculate value: Payback = (4 years of net price) / (major earnings - $35k baseline). A 2-year payback means you recoup your investment in 2 years through higher earnings vs. not attending college.
| # | School | Major Earnings | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana Technological University Butte, MT · Public | $84,653 | 1.3 yrs |
| 2 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ · Public | $73,035 | 1.4 yrs |
| 3 | Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO · Public | $69,338 | 1.4 yrs |
| 4 | West Virginia University Morgantown, WV · Public | $67,288 | 1.6 yrs |
| 5 | University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV · Public | $69,338 | 1.8 yrs |
| 6 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public | $71,015 | 1.9 yrs |
| 7 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Rapid City, SD · Public | $74,953 | 2 yrs |
| 8 | Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO · Public | $77,715 | 2.3 yrs |
| 9 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public | $65,441 | 2.4 yrs |
Payback uses earnings by major from the College Scorecard's field-of-study file, last updated June 2026, against net price from the June 2026 release. Scorecard publishes the two separately, so they are different vintages.