College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region

66 Colleges in the Southeast Region
8,869 ME Degrees Awarded
$65,486 Avg Early-Career Salary
Mechanical Engineering is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #21 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 66 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,869 degrees in mechanical engineering during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School

Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region The me program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering rankings. For our Best Overall Mechanical Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Mechanical Engineering Degree Level

Associate Degrees in ME
Bachelor's Degrees in ME
Master's Degrees in ME
Doctor's Degrees in ME

The me school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering in the Southeast Region

The schools below may not offer all types of me degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Southeast Region Schools in ME

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
739 ME Degrees Awarded
$77,437 Median Starting Salary

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #24 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Georgia Tech is a great school overall.

There were about 739 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Georgia Tech in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus earn $11,950 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

2
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 ME Degrees Awarded
$71,314 Median Starting Salary

Duke University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were roughly 120 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available. Those mechanical engineering students who get their degree from Duke University receive $5,828 more than the standard me graduate.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Duke University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 ME Degrees Awarded
7.0% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Vanderbilt University if you want to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were about 71 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering major at Vanderbilt University make $4,119 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University

4
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
379 ME Degrees Awarded
$74,517 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Virginia Tech if you want to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 379 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Virginia Tech get $9,031 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech

5
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
487 ME Degrees Awarded
$73,238 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were about 487 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available. Mechanical Engineering degree recipients from University of Florida get an earnings boost of around $7,752 above the typical income of mechanical engineering majors.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Florida

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
352 ME Degrees Awarded
$77,562 Median Starting Salary

NC State is a very large public university located in the city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were about 352 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering major at North Carolina State University get $12,076 more than the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
304 ME Degrees Awarded
$66,398 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #107 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Clemson is a great university overall.

There were about 304 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Clemson in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the me program earn about $66,398 for their early career.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Clemson University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
268 ME Degrees Awarded
$67,127 Median Starting Salary

Auburn is a very large public university located in the city of Auburn. This university ranks 3rd out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Alabama.

There were about 268 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Auburn in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career earnings of $67,127.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
228 ME Degrees Awarded
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 228 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the me program earn about $67,222 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
88 ME Degrees Awarded
27.3% Growth in Graduates

University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the suburb of Charlottesville. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were about 88 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the me program earn about $66,820 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Virginia - Main Campus

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Mechanical Engineering students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region award.

RankCollegeLocation
11The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL
12University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL
13Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State, MS
14University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
15Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA
16Florida International UniversityMiami, FL

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State

Explore the best mechanical engineering colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Georgia2871,418
Florida2822,198
North Carolina279915
Virginia274947
Tennessee269603
South Carolina248715
Kentucky244391
Louisiana242453
Mississippi234309
Arkansas234280
Alabama2331,019
West Virginia207217

View All Rankings >

One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Mechanical Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

ME Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering8,869

View All ME Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Electrical Engineering4,942
Civil Engineering4,410
Computer Engineering3,378
General Engineering2,804
Biomedical Engineering2,743
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering2,488
Industrial Engineering2,386
Chemical Engineering2,289
Systems Engineering871
Materials Engineering680

View All ME Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options