2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 47,598 people earned their degree in mechanical engineering, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,495 and had an average of $23,104 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 607 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,575 and $24,231 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 589 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in mechanical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality mechanical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The me 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 ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

#1

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$10,054 Average Net Price

$65,814 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Iowa State is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 429 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $10,054 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$12,975 Average Net Price

$64,687 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 120 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $12,975 for iowa bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Iowa

#3

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$24,967 Average Net Price

$61,020 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Dordt University landed the #3 spot on the list. Dordt is located in Sioux Center, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

Dordt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $24,967 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dordt University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Dordt University

#4

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

#4 in overall quality

$23,977 Average Net Price

$60,771 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Ambrose University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. St. Ambrose University is located in Davenport, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

St. Ambrose University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $23,977 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Saint Ambrose University.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Saint Ambrose University

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Michel Villeneuve.

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