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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

56 Ranked Colleges
6,416 Degrees Awarded
$14,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

General Mechanical Engineering is the 12th most popular major in the country with 47,598 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 8,300 general mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,416 general mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 56 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Mechanical Engineering Schools

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 a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” 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 a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

#1

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 376 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 93%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 179 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 General Mechanical Engineering at UIUC

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 190 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

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%. 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 full report on General Mechanical Engineering at UW - Madison

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #4 spot on the list. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 289 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $15,336 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

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 student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 Michigan - Ann Arbor General Mechanical Engineering Report

#5

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Northwest. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Hammond, Indiana, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue University Northwest is $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University Northwest

#6

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

Michigan State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 289 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid per year to attend Michigan State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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 91%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State

#7

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
#16 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stout ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Stout is a public institution located in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $15,839 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid per year to attend UW - Stout.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 General Mechanical Engineering at UW - Stout

#25 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 173 students in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

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 more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Michigan - Dearborn came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UM Dearborn is a medium-sized school located in Dearborn, Michigan that handed out 157 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Dearborn is $11,473 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan - Dearborn

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Michigan Technological University is a medium-sized public school situated in Houghton, Michigan. It awarded 283 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan Tech also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Michigan Tech is $16,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Michigan Technological University General Mechanical Engineering Report

#11

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#19 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Platteville came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is a medium-sized public school situated in Platteville, Wisconsin. It awarded 190 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Platteville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Platteville is $15,718 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

#12

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan
#22 in overall quality

Oakland University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Oakland University is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 182 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Oakland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Oakland is $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Oakland

Wright State University - Lake Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Wright State University - Lake Campus is a small school located in Celina, Ohio that handed out 21 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Wright State University - Lake Campus is $12,099 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Wright State University - Lake Campus

With a ranking of #14, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 175 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,285 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at IUPUI

#12 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 248 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $17,616 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 General Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State University - Main Campus

University of Michigan - Flint came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Flint, Michigan, this medium-sized public school handed out 25 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Flint is $12,734 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan - Flint

#17

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, Michigan

With a ranking of #17, Saginaw Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in University Center, Michigan, this medium-sized public school awarded 59 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,248 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid per year to attend Saginaw Valley State University.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Saginaw Valley State University

#18

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UWM is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 115 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Full University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee General Mechanical Engineering Report

#18

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 123 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid per year to attend NIU.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Northern Illinois University

#20

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Lake Superior State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lake Superior State University is $12,398 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Lake Superior State University

#21

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan

With a ranking of #21, Wayne State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Wayne State University is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 84 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $13,965 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid per year to attend Wayne State University.

Full Wayne State University General Mechanical Engineering Report

#22

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Evansville, Indiana, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for USI is $13,437 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 USI General Mechanical Engineering Report

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 82 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville General Mechanical Engineering Report

#24

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,646 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid per year to attend Grand Valley State University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at GVSU

#25

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,981 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid per year to attend Central Michigan.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Central Michigan University

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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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