2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k
47
Ranked Colleges
7,287
Degrees Awarded
$8,500
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Mechanical Engineering is the 21st most popular major in the country with 46,178 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $69,007 and had an average of $23,944 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 7,287 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,682 and $21,000 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 47 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great 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 mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 253 students in 2020-2021.
Stanford also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $1,233 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.
Full Stanford Mechanical Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 320 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UC Berkeley Mechanical Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 252 students in 2020-2021.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Mechanical Engineering Report
Out of the 47 schools in the Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 259 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
UW Seattle also took the #7 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $5,194 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 more about Mechanical Engineering at UW Seattle
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 379 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 94%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of California - San Diego
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 274 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Davis has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for far western us region me 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UC Davis
University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 359 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $6,540 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Irvine
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 173 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $1,887 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal State LA.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Mechanical Engineering at Cal State LA
With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 211 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $4,590 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Cal State Fullerton
With a ranking of #10, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 217 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $17,287 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at USC
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 321 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $12,173 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
San Diego State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 243 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
SDSU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $7,169 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SDSU.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Full SDSU Mechanical Engineering Report
California State University - Northridge landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 234 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
CSUN also took the #21 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $6,266 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUN Mechanical Engineering Report
Washington State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Wazzu is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 319 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k list, Wazzu has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington State University is $7,689 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 93 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,568 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara
California State University - Long Beach came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 194 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,663 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Long Beach
With a ranking of #17, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 247 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $10,349 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Cal Poly Pomona Mechanical Engineering Report
California State University - Sacramento ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 229 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,163 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Sac State.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 more about Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Sacramento
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 144 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $6,810 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Riverside Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #20, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 71 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,859 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Fresno State
With a ranking of #21, Oregon State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Corvallis, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 345 students in 2020-2021.
Oregon State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Oregon State University is $15,242 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 209 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State also took the #18 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $12,158 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State University.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at San Jose State University
University of Nevada - Reno came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Reno, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 166 students in 2020-2021.
UNR also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #19. It costs about $11,795 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Nevada - Reno.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
Full UNR Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #24, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNLV is a large school located in Las Vegas, Nevada that handed out 104 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,991 for Far Western US Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNLV.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UNLV Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. UH Manoa is located in Honolulu, Hawaii and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 90 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
UH Manoa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $10,124 for far western us region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UH Manoa Mechanical Engineering Report
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