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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

36 Ranked Colleges
4,578 Degrees Awarded
$60,825 Avg Salary
Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 47,598 people earned their degree in mechanical engineering, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States. 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.

This year’s “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 36 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools

The me school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #1 spot on the list. Rice University is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k list, Rice has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rice University is $7,318 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Rice

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 $48-$75k list. UT Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 99 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k list, UT Rio Grande Valley has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $6,405 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 273 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k list, UT Austin has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $15,757 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Mechanical Engineering Report

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #4 spot on the list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 441 students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station also took the #3 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - College Station is $18,810 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full Texas A&M University - College Station Mechanical Engineering Report

#5

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 220 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. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $12,505 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UH

#6

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Texas Tech is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 357 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $17,421 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Texas Tech University.

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 Texas Tech Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Odessa, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 55 students in 2019-2020.

UT Permian Basin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,417 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend The University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stillwater, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 254 students in 2019-2020.

OSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend OSU is $14,698 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 more about Mechanical Engineering at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 187 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

UTSA also took the #23 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at San Antonio is $13,827 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio

The University of Texas at Tyler landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UT Tyler is a medium-sized public school situated in Tyler, Texas. It awarded 107 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Tyler, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Tyler is $10,037 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UT Tyler

#11

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 128 students in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $15,399 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

The University of Texas at Dallas 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 $48-$75k ranking. UT 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Dallas, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Dallas is $13,797 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 265 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $14,033 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe

New Mexico State University - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It awarded 109 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $10,235 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full NMSU Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UTEP is located in El Paso, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 198 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at El Paso is $10,786 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UTEP

#16

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

University of North Texas came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 166 students in 2019-2020.

UNT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Texas is $15,377 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UNT

With a ranking of #17, 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 $48-$75k list. New Mexico Tech is a small public school situated in Socorro, New Mexico. It awarded 77 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

New Mexico Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $14,429 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

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.

Full New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Mechanical Engineering Report

#18

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 $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Beaumont, Texas, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Lamar University also took the #25 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $14,818 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Lamar University.

Full Lamar University Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. The University of Texas at Arlington is a public institution located in Arlington, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 156 bachelors’s 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 UT Arlington is $14,622 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington

#20

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas

With a ranking of #20, MSU Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k 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 yearly cost to attend MSU Texas is $10,068 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full MSU Texas Mechanical Engineering Report

Texas A&M University - Kingsville landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Kingsville, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 77 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M Kingsville is $14,464 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M Kingsville

#22

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. This fairly large school is located in Canyon, Texas, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend West Texas A&M University is $11,101 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full West Texas A&M University Mechanical Engineering Report

#23

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. NAU is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 156 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Northern Arizona University is $12,675 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Northern Arizona University Mechanical Engineering Report

#24

Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, Texas

Prairie View A & M University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. Prairie View A & M University is a medium-sized public school situated in Prairie View, Texas. It awarded 70 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

PVAMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Prairie View A & M University is $16,610 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Prairie View A & M University Mechanical Engineering Report

University of Houston - Clear Lake came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Houston - Clear Lake is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 8 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Houston - Clear Lake is $9,886 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full UH Clear Lake Mechanical Engineering Report

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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

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.

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