2023 Most Popular Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Great Lakes Region
74
Ranked Colleges
7,978
Degrees Awarded
$33,300
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 7,978 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,318 and $24,852 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 74 colleges that offered a degree in mechanical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular mechanical engineering programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region me students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 582 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
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 University - Main Campus
Out of the 74 schools in the Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 462 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at U-M
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan Technological University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Houghton, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 429 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Technological University
Out of the 74 schools in the Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 331 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 325 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State
Michigan State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 308 students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 300 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UIUC Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 268 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Kettering University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Kettering University is located in Flint, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 235 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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.
Full Kettering University Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Dayton ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Dayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Dayton, Ohio. It awarded 231 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Dayton
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. IUPUI is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 235 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at IUPUI
Oakland University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 222 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at Oakland University
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 222 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Akron Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Akron, Ohio that handed out 215 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Full University of Akron Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #15, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Platteville, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 198 students in 2020-2021.
Full UW - Platteville Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Toledo ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Toledo, Ohio, and it awarded 193 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Toledo
With a ranking of #17, University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Michigan - Dearborn is located in Dearborn, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 183 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Michigan - Dearborn Mechanical Engineering Report
Wayne State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. Detroit, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 163 students in 2020-2021.
Full Wayne State University Mechanical Engineering Report
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 157 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Illinois Tech
Northwestern University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 142 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national 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. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Northwestern University Mechanical Engineering Report
Cleveland State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 139 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Cleveland State University
University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 135 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
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 0.7% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Notre Dame
With a ranking of #22, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 135 students in 2020-2021.
Full Northern Illinois University Mechanical Engineering Report
Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Terre Haute, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 134 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #25, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Case Western Reserve University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 125 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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.
Full Case Western Mechanical Engineering Report
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