2024 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in Virginia
6
Ranked Colleges
947
Degrees Awarded
$21,700
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value ME Schools in Virginia” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Mechanical Engineering is the 21st most popular major in the country with 46,178 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $69,007 and had an average of $23,944 in loans still to pay off.
Across Virginia, there were 947 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,739 and $24,782 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value ME Schools in Virginia” ranking analyzed 6 colleges that offered a degree in mechanical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great mechanical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value ME Schools in Virginia” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value ME Schools in Virginia
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools in Virginia.
Top 6 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in Virginia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value ME Schools in Virginia. Virginia Tech is a large school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 466 ’s me degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $21,301 for Virginia ME students per year to attend Virginia Tech.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value ME Schools in Virginia list. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 64 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also took the #2 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $22,006 for virginia me students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Virginia Mechanical Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Old Dominion University. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value ME Schools in Virginia list. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s me degrees to 150 students in 2020-2021.
Old Dominion also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Old Dominion is $17,204 for Virginia ME students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Old Dominion University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Commonwealth University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Schools in Virginia. VCU is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 106 ’s me degrees in 2020-2021.
VCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $20,490 for Virginia ME students per year to attend VCU.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University
Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value ME Schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #5 spot on the list. George Mason University is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 86 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
GMU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $19,551 for Virginia ME students per year to attend GMU.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at George Mason University
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