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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in Illinois (With Aid)

8 Ranked Colleges
281 Degrees Awarded
$26,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value ME Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

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 for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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 Illinois, there were 1,232 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,288 and $21,821 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 281 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality mechanical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 8 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in Illinois (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 masters’s ME degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree me students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UIUC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 59 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree me students with aid list, UIC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree me students with aid list, NIU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086.

Full NIU Mechanical Engineering Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified masters’s ME students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree me students with aid list, SIUE has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#5

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid 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 40 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University

#7 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 7 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree me students with aid list, SIUC has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Mechanical Engineering Report

#7

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Bradley University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Bradley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at Bradley are $17,040, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Bradley Mechanical Engineering Report

Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 72 masters’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois Tech are $30,695, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology

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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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