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2024 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region

54 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
7,839 ME Degrees Awarded
$71,318 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #21 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 54 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 7,839 degrees in mechanical engineering to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School

Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes 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. We derive our Best Overall Mechanical Engineering School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering in the Great Lakes Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the me degree levels they offer.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in ME

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
461 ME Degrees Awarded
$84,186 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in mechanical engineering needs to check out University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 461 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Mechanical Engineering degree recipients from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn a boost of around $12,868 over the typical income of mechanical engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
125 ME Degrees Awarded
$77,616 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering needs to look into Northwestern University. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 125 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering program at Northwestern University make $6,297 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
648 ME Degrees Awarded
10.2% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Purdue University - Main Campus if you want to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were roughly 648 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year. Mechanical Engineering degree recipients from Purdue University - Main Campus get an earnings boost of around $10,983 above the average earnings of mechanical engineering graduates.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
132 ME Degrees Awarded
$72,690 Median Starting Salary

University of Notre Dame is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were approximately 132 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, me degree recipients usually make an average of $72,690 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Notre Dame

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
259 ME Degrees Awarded
$70,199 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were roughly 259 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the me program make around $70,199 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Wisconsin - Madison

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
370 ME Degrees Awarded
18.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 370 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Those mechanical engineering students who get their degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign receive $6,905 more than the typical me graduate.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 ME Degrees Awarded
$72,316 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Terre Haute, Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were about 120 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program state that they receive average early career earnings of $72,316.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
141 ME Degrees Awarded
11.3% Growth in Graduates

Case Western is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Cleveland. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Case Western is a great university overall.

There were roughly 141 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Case Western in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program state that they receive average early career wages of $67,335.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
378 ME Degrees Awarded
$76,819 Median Starting Salary

Located in the remote town of Houghton, Michigan Tech is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #112 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Michigan Tech is a great university overall.

There were approximately 378 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Michigan Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Mechanical Engineering degree recipients from Michigan Technological University get an earnings boost of around $5,500 above the typical earnings of mechanical engineering majors.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
315 ME Degrees Awarded
2.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 315 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program state that they receive average early career earnings of $71,321.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Michigan3222,496
Ohio3142,106
Illinois3041,183
Indiana2941,329
Wisconsin273855

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 Engineering7,839

View All ME Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Electrical Engineering4,071
Computer Engineering3,068
Civil Engineering2,640
Chemical Engineering2,255
Biomedical Engineering1,942
Industrial Engineering1,686
General Engineering1,677
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering1,443
Materials Engineering731
Other Engineering540

View All ME Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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