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2023 Best Value Colleges for Engineering Mechanics (Income $0-$30k)

10 Ranked Colleges
272 Degrees Awarded
$9,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Engineering Mechanics is the 308th most popular major in the country with 272 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, engineering mechanics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $64,399 and had an average of $24,558 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in engineering mechanics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great engineering mechanics programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the engineering mechanics program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Engineering Mechanics Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for engineering mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Engineering Mechanics (Income $0-$30k)

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our engineering mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northwestern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Engineering Mechanics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $245 for engineering mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Engineering Mechanics at Northwestern

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 38 ’s engineering mechanics degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Engineering Mechanics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $4,858 for Engineering Mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UIUC Engineering Mechanics Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 48 ’s engineering mechanics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering Mechanics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $3,981 for Engineering Mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.

Read more about Engineering Mechanics at UW - Madison

4
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornell University is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 6 ’s engineering mechanics degrees in 2020-2021.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Engineering Mechanics Schools” list. It costs about $5,244 for engineering mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell University.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cornell University Engineering Mechanics Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Iowa State University is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 79 ’s engineering mechanics degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Engineering Mechanics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $9,766 for Engineering Mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Engineering Mechanics at Iowa State

6
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 48 ’s engineering mechanics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia Tech, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering Mechanics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $11,934 for Engineering Mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Full Virginia Tech Engineering Mechanics Report

7

With a ranking of #7, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Georgia Tech is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s engineering mechanics degrees to qualified students.

Georgia Tech also made our “Best Engineering Mechanics Schools” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is $8,818 for Engineering Mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Engineering Mechanics at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

8
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s engineering mechanics students in 2020-2021.

Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Engineering Mechanics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $16,456 for engineering mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Engineering Mechanics at Carnegie Mellon University

9

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s engineering mechanics degrees to qualified students.

UT Austin also made our “Best Engineering Mechanics Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $13,753 for Engineering Mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Austin.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin

10

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Mechanics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. UC is a public institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Engineering Mechanics Schools” list. It costs about $15,061 for Engineering Mechanics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on Engineering Mechanics at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

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Notes and References

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