2023 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering
313
Ranked Colleges
46,178
Degrees Awarded
$13,700
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value ME Schools” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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.
For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools” ranking, we looked at 313 colleges that offer 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.
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.
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” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value ME Schools
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools.
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. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 199 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,474 for ME students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Brigham Young University - Provo
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools list. This fairly large school is located in Fargo, North Dakota, and it awarded 170 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $16,998 for ME students per year to attend North Dakota State University.
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 North Dakota State University - Main Campus
Out of the 313 schools in the Best Value ME Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the #3 spot on the list. BYU - I is a large school located in Rexburg, Idaho that handed out 108 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for BYU - I is $6,698 for ME students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at BYU - I
Out of the 313 schools in the Best Value ME Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez landed the #4 spot on the list. Mayaguez, is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 200 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez is $10,975 for ME students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 UPR Mayaguez
Out of the 313 schools in the Best Value ME Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Akron Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Akron Main Campus is located in Akron, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 215 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Akron Main Campus is $17,945 for ME students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Akron Main Campus
With a ranking of #6, South Dakota State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools list. This fairly large school is located in Brookings, South Dakota, and it awarded 80 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for South Dakota State is $18,578 for ME students.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at South Dakota State
University of North Dakota did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools ranking, coming in at #7. UND is a fairly large public school situated in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It awarded 112 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $16,966 for ME students per year to attend University of North Dakota.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Dakota Mechanical Engineering Report
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools ranking. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 582 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,377 for me students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Purdue
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools ranking, coming in at #9. Rapid City, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 64 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend SD Mines is $19,919 for me students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at SD Mines
Texas Tech University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools list. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 342 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $16,194 for ME students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech
With a ranking of #11, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools list. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 597 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $5,135 for me students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Florida
With a ranking of #12, University of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools list. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 286 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UH is $13,721 for ME students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 UH
University of Wisconsin - Platteville ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools list. UW - Platteville is located in Platteville, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 198 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $14,565 for me students.
Full University of Wisconsin - Platteville Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #14, University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools list. This medium-sized school is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and it awarded 71 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UW - Stout is $15,589 for ME students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Stout
Western Michigan University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools ranking. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 103 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend WMU is $20,371 for ME students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at WMU
Florida International University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools ranking. FIU is located in Miami, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 174 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for FIU is $5,298 for ME students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at FIU
With a ranking of #17, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools list. USF Tampa is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 243 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for University of South Florida - Main Campus is $8,346 for ME students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of South Florida - Main Campus
Iowa State University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools ranking. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 451 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $16,002 for ME students.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 Iowa State University Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 121 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Duluth is $18,505 for ME students.
The undergrad 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 University of Minnesota - Duluth
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools ranking, coming in at #20. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 72 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $14,462 for me students per year to attend SIUE.
Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #21, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools list. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school awarded 503 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Florida is $8,618 for me students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UCF
Mississippi State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools ranking, coming in at #22. Mississippi State University is a public institution located in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The school has a large population, and it awarded 216 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Mississippi State University is $16,122 for ME students.
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 Mississippi State
With a ranking of #23, North Carolina A & T State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools list. This fairly large school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 106 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $10,563 for me students per year to attend NC A&T.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at NC A&T
University of Wyoming landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools ranking. UW is located in Laramie, Wyoming and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 72 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UW is $11,085 for me students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UW
Northern Illinois University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools ranking. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 135 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,956 for me students per year to attend NIU.
Full Northern Illinois University Mechanical Engineering Report
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