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2025 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools

318 Colleges in the United States
35,501 Bachelor's Degrees
$70,525 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #17 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 318 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of mechanical engineering. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 35,501 bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of mechanical engineering for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More ME Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Mechanical Engineering in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in ME

1
142 Annual Graduates
$83,957 Median Starting Salary
$51,429 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat Massachusetts Institute of Technology if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. MIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology earn $13,432 more than the standard me graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2
421 Annual Graduates
$78,862 Median Starting Salary
$42,622 Median Student Debt

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a wonderful option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Atlanta.

Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering major at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus earn $8,337 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

3
275 Annual Graduates
$82,823 Median Starting Salary
$49,749 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering needs to check out University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor receive $12,298 more than the average me student.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
266 Annual Graduates
$82,227 Median Starting Salary
$26,953 Median Student Debt

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from The University of Texas at Austin receive $11,702 more than the standard me student.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin

5

Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Berkeley earn $17,972 more than the typical me graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - Berkeley

6
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
319 Annual Graduates
$78,280 Median Starting Salary
$49,794 Median Student Debt

Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.

Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering major at Virginia Tech make $7,755 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech

7
274 Annual Graduates
$78,182 Median Starting Salary
$63,610 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Worcester, WPI is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Worcester Polytechnic Institute get an earnings boost of approximately $7,657 over the average income of mechanical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute

8
275 Annual Graduates
$80,255 Median Starting Salary
$52,972 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Northeastern University receive $9,730 more than the standard me graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University

9

Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Cornell University receive an earnings boost of approximately $14,915 above the average earnings of mechanical engineering majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Cornell University

10
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
49 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Stanford University

11
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham.

Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Duke University earn $19,413 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Duke University

12
113 Annual Graduates
$76,523 Median Starting Salary
$59,961 Median Student Debt

Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Carnegie Mellon University get an earnings boost of approximately $5,998 over the average earnings of mechanical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University

13
430 Annual Graduates
$80,374 Median Starting Salary
$53,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Purdue University - Main Campus earn a boost of approximately $9,849 above the average earnings of mechanical engineering majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Purdue University - Main Campus

14

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison.

Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at University of Wisconsin - Madison get $4,086 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Wisconsin - Madison

15
415 Annual Graduates
$77,785 Median Starting Salary
$28,124 Median Student Debt

Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Texas A&M University - College Station earn a boost of about $7,260 over the typical earnings of mechanical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University - College Station

16
360 Annual Graduates
$76,485 Median Starting Salary
$26,516 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of Maryland - College Park earn a boost of about $5,960 over the typical income of mechanical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Maryland - College Park

17
102 Annual Graduates
$84,999 Median Starting Salary
$37,150 Median Student Debt

Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of Notre Dame receive an earnings boost of about $14,474 over the typical earnings of mechanical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Notre Dame

18
166 Annual Graduates
$75,231 Median Starting Salary
$34,967 Median Student Debt

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis.

Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering major at University of California - Davis get $4,706 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - Davis

19
177 Annual Graduates
$74,869 Median Starting Salary
$38,966 Median Student Debt

UCONN is a fairly large public university located in the town of Storrs.

Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering program at University of Connecticut make $4,344 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Connecticut

20
265 Annual Graduates
$80,187 Median Starting Salary
$48,993 Median Student Debt

UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get an earnings boost of about $9,662 over the average earnings of mechanical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

21
260 Annual Graduates
$67,633 Median Starting Salary
$30,666 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, me bachelor's recipients usually earn about $67,633 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - Irvine

22
119 Annual Graduates
$83,356 Median Starting Salary
$40,960 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Southern California make $12,831 more than the typical me student.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Southern California

23
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
277 Annual Graduates
$80,259 Median Starting Salary
$37,046 Median Student Debt

Michigan State is a very large public university located in the small city of East Lansing.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Michigan State University get an earnings boost of about $9,734 over the typical income of mechanical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University

24
159 Annual Graduates
$77,925 Median Starting Salary
$65,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Hoboken, Stevens is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Stevens Institute of Technology earn $7,400 more than the typical me grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology

25

Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Northwestern University earn $4,728 more than the standard me graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University

Rest of the Top Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
27
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
28
29
30
31
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
32

33

34
35
36
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
37
38
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
39
40
41
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL

42

43
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
44
45
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
46
47
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
48
49
50

Additional Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 20% of the 318 different United States mechanical engineering schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
52 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
53 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
54 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
55 Iowa State University Ames, IA
56 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
57 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
58 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
59 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
60 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
61 Rice University Houston, TX
62 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
63 New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
64 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
65 University of Delaware Newark, DE
66 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
67 Tufts University Medford, MA
68 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
69 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
70 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
71 New York University New York, NY
72 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
73 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
74 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
75 George Washington University Washington, DC
76 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
77 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
78 Washington State University Pullman, WA
79 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
80 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
81 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
82 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
83 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
84 Kettering University Flint, MI
85 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
86 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
87 University of Houston Houston, TX
88 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
89 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
90 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
91 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
92 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
93 University of Georgia Athens, GA
94 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
95 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
96 Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA
97 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
98 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
99 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
100 University of Michigan - Dearborn Dearborn, MI
101 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
102 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
103 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
104 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
105 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
106 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY

Mechanical Engineering by Region

View the Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Mechanical Engineering is one of 41 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.

ME Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering 35,501

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 16,470
Civil Engineering 14,747
Computer Engineering 12,226
Chemical Engineering 9,433
Biomedical Engineering 8,599
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 5,944
Industrial Engineering 5,551
General Engineering 2,706
Environmental Engineering 1,916
Materials Engineering 1,535

Notes and References

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