2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k
14
Ranked Colleges
2,232
Degrees Awarded
$19,200
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 46,178 people earned their degree in mechanical engineering, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. 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 Pennsylvania, there were 2,232 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,068 and $25,287 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered 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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 147 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
UPenn also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $1,938 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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. 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%.
Full University of Pennsylvania Mechanical Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 298 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $13,608 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Carnegie Mellon University.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 0.7%, 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.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 130 students in 2020-2021.
Lehigh not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lehigh University is $14,995 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Lehigh
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lafayette College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Easton, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 60 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Lafayette not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lafayette is $12,400 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 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. 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Lafayette College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Villanova University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 89 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania me students whose families make $30-$48k list, Villanova has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $26,460 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Villanova University.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Villanova
With a ranking of #6, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this large public school handed out 236 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
Pitt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $17,691 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Mechanical Engineering Report
Bucknell University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Bucknell University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 38 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Bucknell also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Bucknell University is $28,153 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at Bucknell
York College of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. YCP is located in York, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at YCP, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $18,893 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend YCP.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at YCP
Temple University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 110 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Temple also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Temple University is $19,355 for Pennsylvania 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%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Temple University
Gannon University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Gannon is located in Erie, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania me students whose families make $30-$48k list, Gannon has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Gannon is $18,377 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 3.1% 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 Gannon University
With a ranking of #11, University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, this small public school handed out 46 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pitt Johnstown, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is $11,073 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 Pitt Johnstown
With a ranking of #12, Wilkes University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wilkes University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Wilkes did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Wilkes is $25,051 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Wilkes Mechanical Engineering Report
Drexel University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Drexel is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 200 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania me students whose families make $30-$48k list, Drexel has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $28,998 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Drexel.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Drexel University
Widener University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Widener University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chester, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Widener also took the #10 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Widener is $31,220 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Widener
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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
- *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.
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