2023 Best Value Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
312
Ranked Colleges
46,178
Degrees Awarded
$4,500
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.
General Mechanical Engineering is the 14th most popular major in the country with 46,178 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 312 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. MIT is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 291 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
MIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $-2,603 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend MIT. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Out of the 312 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #2 spot on the list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 141 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Duke has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $-927 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Duke. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Duke University
Out of the 312 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #3 spot on the list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 253 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,581 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford University.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Stanford
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 147 diplomas to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2020-2021.
UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $1,938 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UPenn
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 142 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $917 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Northwestern General Mechanical Engineering Report
Princeton University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Princeton is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 69 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, Princeton is in the top on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $4,502 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Princeton
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 205 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $4,699 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University in the City of New York
Harvard University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 11 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $1,396 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Harvard University.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Harvard
With a ranking of #9, Olin College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Needham, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Olin College is also in the top of our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $859 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Olin College.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Olin College
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 462 degrees to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, U-M has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $5,670 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at U-M
University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 597 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UF has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,857 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UF.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
Full UF General Mechanical Engineering Report
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 582 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,853 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus General Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #13, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 191 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
Johns Hopkins not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $4,859 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Cornell University is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 214 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $5,133 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Cornell
Washington University in St Louis came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 156 degrees to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2020-2021.
WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $2,446 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, 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 94%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St Louis
Vanderbilt University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 66 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,652 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt.
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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Vanderbilt University General Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #17, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 268 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison also took the #22 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $4,788 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UW - Madison
Rice University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Rice is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 77 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Rice did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $1,340 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Full Rice General Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #19, Tufts University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 76 degrees to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2020-2021.
Tufts excels when it comes to general mechanical engineering quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $7,987 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Tufts.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University
University of California - Berkeley came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 320 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also took the #15 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
Full UC Berkeley General Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #21, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 259 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle excels when it comes to general mechanical engineering quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $6,399 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW Seattle.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at UW Seattle
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 252 degrees to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #19 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,891 for General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles General Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 300 degrees to qualified ’s general mechanical engineering students in 2020-2021.
UIUC excels when it comes to general mechanical engineering quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $8,036 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #24, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 285 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UMN Twin Cities is in the top on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $8,609 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UMN Twin Cities
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 794 ’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Tech is $11,712 for general mechanical engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech
