2027 Best Manufacturing Engineering Schools in Illinois

Manufacturing Engineering is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.

For its 2027 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for manufacturing engineering students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

• Best Manufacturing Engineering Schools in Illinois

Best Schools for Manufacturing Engineering in Illinois

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the manufacturing engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Manufacturing Engineering

1

Northwestern University
Evanston, IL

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

20 Manufacturing Engineering Degrees Awarded

$78,551 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University tops our 2027 ranking of the best manufacturing engineering schools. Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston. Northwestern University graduates 95% of students within six years. There were roughly 20 manufacturing engineering students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, manufacturing engineering degree recipients from Northwestern University generally make around $78,551. Typical student debt for the program is $16,616. More information about a degree in manufacturing engineering from Northwestern University

2

Bradley University
Peoria, IL

23 Manufacturing Engineering Degrees Awarded

$67,488 Median Starting Salary

Bradley University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in manufacturing engineering, ranking #2. This moderately-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Peoria. The six-year graduation rate is 76%. About 23 manufacturing engineering degrees were awarded at Bradley University in the most recent year. Students who receive their manufacturing engineering degree from Bradley University earn around $67,488 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in manufacturing engineering from Bradley University

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 2 schools evaluated.

• 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.