2023 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
312
Ranked Colleges
46,178
Degrees Awarded
$4,500
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 312 colleges that offer a degree in mechanical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent mechanical engineering programs, but they also 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 291 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our me students whose families make $30-$48k list, MIT has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $-2,603 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend MIT. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 141 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
Duke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $-927 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Duke University
Out of the 312 schools in the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 253 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
Stanford also took the #2 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,581 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 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 be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 147 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $1,938 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UPenn
Out of the 312 schools in the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 142 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #9 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $917 for me students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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 97%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern
Princeton University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 69 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Princeton is also in the top of our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Princeton is $4,502 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Princeton University
With a ranking of #7, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 205 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $4,699 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Columbia Mechanical Engineering Report
Harvard University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Harvard also did well on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $1,396 for me students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Harvard University
Olin College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Olin College is located in Needham, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, Olin College is in the top on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $859 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Olin College.
The undergraduate 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.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Olin College
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 462 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $5,670 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 597 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
UF also took the #18 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,857 for me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Florida.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 97%.
Full UF Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #12, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 582 students in 2020-2021.
Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $5,853 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus
Johns Hopkins University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 191 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also took the #3 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,859 for me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Johns Hopkins University.
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 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University
Cornell University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 214 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell also took the #7 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $5,133 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full Cornell University Mechanical Engineering Report
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 156 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
WUSTL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $2,446 for me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend WUSTL.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Washington University in St Louis Mechanical Engineering Report
Vanderbilt University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 66 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $4,652 for me students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 268 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $4,788 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Rice University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 77 students in 2020-2021.
Rice also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Rice is $1,340 for me students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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 97%. The impressive undergraduate 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.
Full Rice University Mechanical Engineering Report
Tufts University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. Tufts University is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Tufts also did well on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Tufts University is $7,987 for me students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Full Tufts Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #20, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 320 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Berkeley Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #21, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 259 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UW Seattle also did well on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $6,399 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Mechanical Engineering Report
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 252 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,891 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UCLA Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 300 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UIUC is in the top on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $8,036 for me students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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%.
Full UIUC Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 285 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
UMN Twin Cities excels when it comes to ME quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $8,609 for me students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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%.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Mechanical Engineering Report
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Georgia Tech is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 794 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $11,712 for ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Georgia Tech.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report
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