2023 Best Value Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
312
Ranked Colleges
46,178
Degrees Awarded
$4,300
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General Mechanical Engineering is the 14th most popular major in the country with 46,178 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
For this year’s “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 312 colleges that offer a degree in general mechanical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general mechanical engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 141 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $371 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Duke University.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Duke
Out of the 312 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 253 degrees to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2020-2021.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,233 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University
Out of the 312 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #3 spot on the list. MIT is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 291 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
MIT also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $5,193 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 142 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $245 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 147 students in 2020-2021.
UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $580 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full University of Pennsylvania General Mechanical Engineering Report
Johns Hopkins University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 191 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
Johns Hopkins also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins is $2,084 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 462 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $2,670 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Olin College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Needham, Massachusetts, and it awarded 21 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Olin College also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Olin College is $2,008 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Olin College
With a ranking of #9, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 597 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $65 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UF General Mechanical Engineering Report
Princeton University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Princeton is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 69 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Princeton excels when it comes to general mechanical engineering quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $2,958 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Princeton.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Princeton University
Rice University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Rice is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 77 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Rice has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rice University is $4,443 for General Mechanical Engineering 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 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Rice University
Vanderbilt University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vanderbilt University is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 66 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt University is $3,176 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 582 degrees to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,995 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Purdue General Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #14, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 268 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $3,981 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison General Mechanical Engineering Report
Washington University in St Louis landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 156 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $1,556 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WUSTL.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at WUSTL
Cornell University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 214 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $5,244 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
Full Cornell University General Mechanical Engineering Report
Harvard University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Harvard also did well on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $2,564 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harvard University.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Harvard
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 300 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UIUC is also in the top of our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $4,858 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UIUC
Tufts University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 76 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Tufts is in the top on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts University is $8,122 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 205 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $9,873 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University in the City of New York
University of California - Berkeley came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 320 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $8,450 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Berkeley General Mechanical Engineering Report
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 794 students in 2020-2021.
Georgia Tech also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,818 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Georgia Tech.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 252 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $9,037 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UCLA General Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #24, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 308 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Michigan State is also in the top of our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $6,927 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Michigan State General Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Maryland - College Park landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 374 degrees to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UMCP is in the top on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $6,067 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Maryland - College Park General Mechanical Engineering Report
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