2022 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in Iowa

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Iowa, there were 607 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,575 and $24,231 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the mechanical engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k” 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. 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 Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa me students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in Iowa

#1

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$14,161 Average Net Price

$46,410 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 429 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $14,161 for iowa me students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa State Mechanical Engineering Report

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$18,272 Average Net Price

$44,594 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 138 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $18,272 for Iowa ME students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Iowa

#3

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$22,821 Average Net Price

$48,233 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Dordt University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k. This small school is located in Sioux Center, Iowa, and it awarded 12 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Dordt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Dordt is $22,821 for iowa me students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Dordt University Mechanical Engineering Report

#4

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

#4 in overall quality

$27,002 Average Net Price

$45,438 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Ambrose University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k. Davenport, Iowa 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Ambrose University, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $27,002 for iowa me students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend St. Ambrose University.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at St. Ambrose University

• Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $48-$75k)

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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