{
  "major": "Petroleum Engineering",
  "slug": "petroleum-engineering",
  "field": "Engineering & Architecture",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-petroleum-engineering-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 19,
  "shown": 19,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "The University of Texas at Austin",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 86761,
      "net_price": 19857,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 788182,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "Texas Tech University",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 80460,
      "net_price": 19070,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 728320,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "Montana Technological University",
      "state": "MT",
      "median_earnings": 69212,
      "net_price": 16481,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 626196,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "Texas A&M University-College Station",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 69603,
      "net_price": 21315,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 610770,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "University of Wyoming",
      "state": "WY",
      "median_earnings": 66221,
      "net_price": 13599,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 607814,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "Marietta College",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 82205,
      "net_price": 21083,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 737718,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "school": "University of North Dakota",
      "state": "ND",
      "median_earnings": 73821,
      "net_price": 18551,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 664006,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "school": "West Virginia University",
      "state": "WV",
      "median_earnings": 68913,
      "net_price": 15634,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 626594,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "school": "The University of Texas Permian Basin",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 61299,
      "net_price": 12723,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 562098,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "school": "University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus",
      "state": "OK",
      "median_earnings": 61223,
      "net_price": 15300,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 551030,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "school": "Missouri University of Science and Technology",
      "state": "MO",
      "median_earnings": 69670,
      "net_price": 16298,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 631508,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "school": "Colorado School of Mines",
      "state": "CO",
      "median_earnings": 77400,
      "net_price": 28690,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 659240,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "school": "University of Louisiana at Lafayette",
      "state": "LA",
      "median_earnings": 49781,
      "net_price": 13530,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 443690,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "school": "Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College",
      "state": "LA",
      "median_earnings": 56605,
      "net_price": 19151,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 489446,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "school": "University of Houston",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 52295,
      "net_price": 14276,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 465846,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "school": "Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus",
      "state": "PA",
      "median_earnings": 85795,
      "net_price": 32875,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 726450,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 17,
      "school": "University of Kansas",
      "state": "KS",
      "median_earnings": 42865,
      "net_price": 18059,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 356414,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 18,
      "school": "New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology",
      "state": "NM",
      "median_earnings": 42325,
      "net_price": 9873,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 383758,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 19,
      "school": "Texas A&M University-Kingsville",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 43257,
      "net_price": 12090,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 384210,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}