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2027 Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools in Illinois

[Manufacturing Engineering](/majors/engineering/manufacturing-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong manufacturing engineering education at a price that pays off.

College Factual analyzed 2 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value manufacturing engineering schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools in Illinois

2027 Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools in Illinois

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in manufacturing engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools

1

Bradley University
Peoria, IL

$42,160 In-State Tuition & Fees

$27,000 Avg Student Debt

$66,852 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in manufacturing engineering, no school beat Bradley University this year. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $42,160. Typical student debt for manufacturing engineering graduates is $27,000. Soon after graduation, manufacturing engineering degree recipients from Bradley University generally make around $67,488. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.

2

Northwestern University
Evanston, IL

$68,322 In-State Tuition & Fees

$16,616 Avg Student Debt

$89,363 Median Earnings (10yr)

A rank of #2 makes Northwestern University one of the best values for manufacturing engineering. Set in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $68,322. Students borrow a median of $16,616 to complete the manufacturing engineering program here. Manufacturing Engineering graduates of Northwestern University earn a median of $78,551 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $16,616 median debt. Roughly 8% of applicants are accepted.

View All Manufacturing Engineering Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.