Best Value Colleges for Polymer/Plastics Engineering
Schools ranked by payback period — how quickly you recoup your investment through higher earnings.
4
Schools Ranked
$69,541
Avg. Earnings
2.1 yrs
Best Payback
219
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 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College Erie, PA · Public | $75,706 | 2.1 yrs |
| 2 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA · Public | $63,005 | 2.4 yrs |
| 3 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA · Public | $75,706 | 2.7 yrs |
| 4 | Auburn University Auburn, AL · Public | $63,749 | 3.3 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.