Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Mechanical Engineering

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

36 Ranked Colleges
4,578 Degrees Awarded
$10,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,578 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 36 colleges that offer a degree 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 39 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

Rice did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $7,534 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Rice University.

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 low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The impressive 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 Mechanical Engineering Report

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Edinburg, Texas, this large public school handed out 99 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley also took the #21 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $3,473 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UT Rio Grande Valley.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 UT Rio Grande Valley

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 441 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M College Station is $13,270 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M College Station

#4

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Tech University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 357 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech University is $13,326 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 254 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

OSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for OSU is $9,962 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

University of North Texas came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of North Texas is a large school located in Denton, Texas that handed out 166 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

UNT also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $9,082 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of North Texas.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UNT

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 273 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also took the #1 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $13,575 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin

#8

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 220 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $9,925 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Houston.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full University of Houston Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas at Tyler landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Tyler, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 107 students in 2019-2020.

UT Tyler also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $7,058 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UT Tyler.

Full The University of Texas at Tyler Mechanical Engineering Report

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school handed out 265 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe also took the #10 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $8,921 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UTSA is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 187 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UTSA also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at San Antonio is $11,109 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full The University of Texas at San Antonio Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Odessa, Texas, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Permian Basin also took the #19 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,221 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend The University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

#13

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 128 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Arizona, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $11,466 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. The University of Texas at Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 217 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

UT Dallas not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $11,745 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UT Dallas.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 UT Dallas

#15

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. Lamar University is located in Beaumont, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 64 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lamar University, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,631 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Lamar University.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Lamar University

With a ranking of #16, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. NMSU Main Campus is a public institution located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,006 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NMSU Main Campus.

Full NMSU Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. El Paso, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 198 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at El Paso is $7,427 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at El Paso

With a ranking of #18, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Socorro, New Mexico, this small public school awarded 77 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

New Mexico Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico Tech is $12,297 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

#19

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas

MSU Texas ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. MSU Texas is a medium-sized public school situated in Wichita Falls, Texas. It awarded 50 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for MSU Texas is $8,554 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full MSU Texas Mechanical Engineering Report

Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. Texas A&M University - Kingsville is a medium-sized school located in Kingsville, Texas that handed out 77 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - Kingsville is $11,721 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M Kingsville

#21

Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, Texas

Prairie View A & M University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Prairie View, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 70 students in 2019-2020.

PVAMU also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $13,098 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Prairie View A & M University.

Full PVAMU Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Arlington, Texas, and it awarded 156 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Arlington is $12,974 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full The University of Texas at Arlington Mechanical Engineering Report

#23

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

With a ranking of #23, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 156 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Northern Arizona University is $9,799 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full NAU Mechanical Engineering Report

#24

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

With a ranking of #24, West Texas A&M University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. West Texas A&M University is a fairly large school located in Canyon, Texas that handed out 43 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,146 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend West Texas A&M University.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at West Texas A&M University

With a ranking of #25, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 150 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma is $17,285 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Oklahoma

Switch to a Similar Major

General Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Agricultural Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Agricultural Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Biomedical Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Biomedical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Civil Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Electrical Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Engineering Science
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Engineering Science (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Materials Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Mining Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Mining Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Nuclear Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Nuclear Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Petroleum Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Petroleum Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Construction Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Construction Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Manufacturing Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Manufacturing Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Geoscience Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Geoscience Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Electrical and Computer Engineering. (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Architectural Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Architectural Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Chemical Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Computer Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Computer Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Engineering Physics
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Engineering Physics (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Environmental Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Environmental Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Metallurgical Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Metallurgical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Marine Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Marine Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Ocean Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Ocean Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Systems Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Systems Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Industrial Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Industrial Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Operations Research
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Operations Research (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Biological Engineering
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Biological Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Engineering Schools

Find Schools Near You