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2022 Best Value Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

9 Ranked Colleges
1,232 Degrees Awarded
$11,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 47,598 people earned their degree in general mechanical engineering, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 1,232 general mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general mechanical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general mechanical engineering 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 general mechanical engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The general mechanical engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. 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 General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 128 diplomas to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $1,866 for illinois general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.

The impressive 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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Northwestern General Mechanical Engineering Report

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 General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 300 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for illinois general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UIUC

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 86 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,055 for illinois general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at SIUE

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 247 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $10,648 for illinois general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIC.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 141 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for illinois general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Northern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 63 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $13,658 for illinois general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at SIUC

#7

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 84 diplomas to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bradley has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $17,205 for Illinois General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Bradley University

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 14 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, WIU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $13,942 for illinois general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Western Illinois University

With a ranking of #9, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 166 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,222 for illinois general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois Tech.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive 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.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Illinois Tech

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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