2022 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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” ranking.
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.
This year’s “Best Value ME Schools” ranking looked at 326 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools
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” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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
The colleges and universities below are the best for me students.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value ME Schools. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 203 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend BYU is $13,322 for me students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Brigham Young University - Provo Mechanical Engineering Report
Out of the 326 schools in the Best Value ME Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the #2 spot on the list. Brigham Young University - Idaho is located in Rexburg, Idaho and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 127 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $7,167 for me students per year to attend Brigham Young University - Idaho.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools list. UW - Stout is a medium-sized public school situated in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It awarded 56 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stout is $15,839 for ME students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools list. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is a medium-sized school located in Platteville, Wisconsin that handed out 190 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,718 for me students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Dakota State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value ME Schools. South Dakota State is a fairly large school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 103 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for South Dakota State is $19,252 for me students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 South Dakota State University
University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools ranking. UPR Mayaguez is a fairly large school located in Mayaguez, that handed out 143 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UPR Mayaguez is $10,766 for me students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #7, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools list. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Fargo, North Dakota. It awarded 153 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for North Dakota State University - Main Campus is $16,584 for me students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full North Dakota State University - Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools ranking. SD Mines is a small public school situated in Rapid City, South Dakota. It awarded 102 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SD Mines is $19,815 for me students.
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%.
University of North Dakota landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools ranking. UND is a public institution located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 113 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UND is $15,738 for me students.
The low 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of North Dakota
Purdue University Northwest came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools ranking. Hammond, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 90 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Purdue Northwest is $11,250 for ME students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University Northwest
With a ranking of #11, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools list. Odessa, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 55 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UT Permian Basin is $10,092 for ME students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin
California State University Maritime Academy did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Vallejo, California, this small public school handed out 44 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Cal Maritime is in the top on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $20,597 for ME students per year to attend California State University Maritime Academy.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at California State University Maritime Academy
University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools ranking. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a fairly large public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 132 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Duluth is $17,067 for ME students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Mechanical Engineering Report
SUNY Maritime College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools ranking, coming in at #14. Throggs Neck, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 49 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SUNY Maritime College is also in the top of our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $20,616 for me students per year to attend SUNY Maritime College.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at SUNY Maritime College
With a ranking of #15, West Texas A&M University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools list. West Texas A&M University is a fairly large public school situated in Canyon, Texas. It awarded 43 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend West Texas A&M University is $12,761 for ME students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at West Texas A&M University
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools list. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 86 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for ME students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Iowa State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools 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.
Iowa State excels when it comes to ME quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $15,496 for ME students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University
Lake Superior State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools list. Lake Superior State University is a small school located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan that handed out 17 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,398 for ME students per year to attend Lake Superior State University.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Lake Superior State University
Louisiana Tech University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools ranking, coming in at #19. Louisiana Tech is located in Ruston, Louisiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $12,084 for ME students per year to attend Louisiana Tech University.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Louisiana Tech
With a ranking of #20, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 141 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for ME students.
Full Northern Illinois University Mechanical Engineering Report
Georgia Southern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools ranking, coming in at #21. This large school is located in Statesboro, Georgia, and it awarded 195 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,536 for ME students per year to attend Georgia Southern University.
Full Georgia Southern University Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Houston came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools ranking. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 276 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,838 for ME students per year to attend UH.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Tennessee Technological University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools ranking. Tennessee Tech University is a fairly large public school situated in Cookeville, Tennessee. It awarded 172 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Tennessee Technological University is $15,929 for me students.
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 Tennessee Tech University
Saint Cloud State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools ranking. Saint Cloud State University is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 42 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for St. Cloud State University is $14,267 for ME students.
Full Saint Cloud State University Mechanical Engineering Report
Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools ranking. Minnesota State University - Mankato is located in Mankato, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Mankato is $16,221 for me students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Rest of the Best 49 in Best Value ME Schools
Not only did these schools make the top 49 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Southeast Region
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Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Rocky Mountains Region
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Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Plains States Region
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Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Far Western US Region
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Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Great Lakes Region
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Mechanical Engineering students with family income $75-$110k
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Michel Villeneuve.
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