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2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

56 Ranked Colleges
6,416 Degrees Awarded
$8,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 47,598 people earned their degree in general mechanical engineering, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 8,300 general mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,416 general mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 56 colleges that offered a degree in general mechanical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general mechanical engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general 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.

More Ways to Rank General Mechanical Engineering Schools

The general mechanical engineering 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 “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $1,866 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 289 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $3,166 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full U-M General Mechanical Engineering Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 190 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.

UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,367 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 179 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 low 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%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UIUC

#5

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 376 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

Purdue also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,483 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Purdue General Mechanical Engineering Report

#9 in overall quality

Michigan Technological University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Houghton, Michigan, and it awarded 283 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan Tech also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan Tech is $8,295 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Technological University

#7

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

University of Notre Dame ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 119 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

Notre Dame did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Notre Dame is $12,498 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full University of Notre Dame General Mechanical Engineering Report

#8

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

Michigan State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 289 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $6,686 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University

#12 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 248 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $8,194 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State

#10

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized public school situated in Platteville, Wisconsin. It awarded 190 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW - Platteville has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,117 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Platteville.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UW - Platteville

#11

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Stout is a medium-sized public school situated in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It awarded 56 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout also took the #16 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $10,695 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 General Mechanical Engineering at UW - Stout

#12

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Purdue Northwest is a medium-sized school located in Hammond, Indiana that handed out 62 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue Northwest is $6,911 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Purdue Northwest

#13

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Oakland University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oakland is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 182 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Oakland, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oakland University is $7,490 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Oakland University General Mechanical Engineering Report

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school awarded 175 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend IUPUI is $5,052 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at IUPUI

University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UM Dearborn is a public institution located in Dearborn, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 157 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Dearborn is $6,751 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UM Dearborn General Mechanical Engineering Report

#16

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Lake Superior State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lake Superior State University is a public institution located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Lake Superior State University is $7,067 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lake Superior State University General Mechanical Engineering Report

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 82 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $8,055 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SIUE General Mechanical Engineering Report

With a ranking of #18, University of Michigan - Flint did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Michigan - Flint is a medium-sized public school situated in Flint, Michigan. It awarded 25 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,955 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UM Flint.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan - Flint

#25 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 173 students in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $10,648 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago

#20

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Evansville, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,244 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USI.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at USI

With a ranking of #21, Wright State University - Lake Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Celina, Ohio, this small public school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,099 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wright State University - Lake Campus.

Full Wright State University - Lake Campus General Mechanical Engineering Report

#22

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

Grand Valley State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Grand Valley State University is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 50 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,578 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend GVSU.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Grand Valley State University General Mechanical Engineering Report

#23

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, Michigan

Saginaw Valley State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in University Center, Michigan, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Saginaw Valley State University is $10,522 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Saginaw Valley State University

#24

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Purdue University Fort Wayne came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,129 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Full PFW General Mechanical Engineering Report

#25

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

With a ranking of #25, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 123 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,281 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NIU.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at NIU

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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