2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
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 in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Mechanical Engineering is the 20th most popular major in the country with 47,598 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 the Southwest region, there were 5,649 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,691 and $21,487 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 36 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.
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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 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 Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rice University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Rice also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Rice University is $3,437 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The 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. The 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 97%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 116 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Rio Grande Valley also took the #25 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Mechanical Engineering Report
Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #3 spot on the list. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 575 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M College Station is $11,454 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University - College Station
Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Tech University landed the #4 spot on the list. Texas Tech is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 389 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texas Tech has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,317 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Tech.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 344 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Austin has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,203 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Austin.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Stillwater, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 292 students in 2019-2020.
OSU also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend OSU is $8,669 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #7, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school handed out 411 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,044 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Arizona State University - Tempe.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe
University of North Texas came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Texas is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 179 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UNT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $8,521 for Southwest 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%.
With a ranking of #9, The University of Texas at Tyler did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Tyler is a medium-sized school located in Tyler, Texas that handed out 117 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Tyler did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Tyler is $6,797 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #10, University of Houston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 276 students in 2019-2020.
UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UH is $10,203 for southwest 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 86%.
The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 214 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UTSA also took the #24 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,516 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.
With a ranking of #12, University of Arizona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 143 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Arizona has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $10,562 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Arizona
With a ranking of #13, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Odessa, Texas, and it awarded 55 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Permian Basin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is $7,889 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UT Permian Basin
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. New Mexico Tech is located in Socorro, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 88 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
New Mexico Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico Tech is $10,924 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
With a ranking of #15, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Richardson, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 277 students in 2019-2020.
UT Dallas not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,857 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Dallas.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, 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 90%.
Full The University of Texas at Dallas Mechanical Engineering Report
The University of Texas at El Paso ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UTEP is located in El Paso, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 240 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $7,092 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at El Paso.
With a ranking of #17, Lamar University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Beaumont, Texas, and it awarded 64 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
Lamar University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lamar University is $9,200 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Lamar University
New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico that handed out 127 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,896 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NMSU Main Campus.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico State University - Main Campus
MSU Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. MSU Texas is a public institution located in Wichita Falls, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 50 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,703 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend MSU Texas.
Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Texas A&M University - Kingsville is a public institution located in Kingsville, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 97 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,105 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M University - Kingsville.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University - Kingsville
University of Houston - Clear Lake came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Houston - Clear Lake is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UH Clear Lake is $4,517 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full University of Houston - Clear Lake Mechanical Engineering Report
The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UT Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 304 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Arlington has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,811 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Arlington.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington
With a ranking of #23, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. NAU is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 173 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,251 for Southwest Region ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NAU.
Oklahoma Christian University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Edmond, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma Christian University is $18,686 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #25, Prairie View A & M University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. PVAMU is a public institution located in Prairie View, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
PVAMU also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend PVAMU is $12,291 for southwest region me students whose families make $0-$30k.
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Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region
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Mechanical Engineering students in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
Mechanical Engineering students with family income less than $30k in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region
Mechanical Engineering students with family income $48-$75k in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region
Mechanical Engineering students with family income exceeding $110k in the Southwest Region
Highest Paid Mechanical Engineering Graduates in the Southwest Region
Mechanical Engineering students in the Southwest Region
Most Popular Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Southwest Region
Mechanical Engineering students in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Southwest Region (With Aid)
Mechanical Engineering students getting aid in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region
Mechanical Engineering students with family income $30-$48k in the Southwest Region
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Mechanical Engineering students with family income $75-$110k in the Southwest Region
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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