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2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

323 Ranked Colleges
37,951 Degrees Awarded
$11,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

General Mechanical Engineering is the 12th most popular major in the country with 47,598 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 37,951 general mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 323 colleges that offer a degree in general mechanical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general mechanical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general mechanical engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 For Those Getting Aid”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering (With Aid)

#1

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
Top 15% in overall quality

Out of the 323 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #1 spot on the list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 320 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, 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 97%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UF

#2

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 52 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Princeton, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,317 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid per year to attend Princeton University.

The low 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%. Since the school has a 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 University

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
Top 10% in overall quality

Out of the 323 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 376 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue excels when it comes to general mechanical engineering quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $13,986 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full Purdue General Mechanical Engineering Report

Top 25% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 124 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Washington - Seattle Campus General Mechanical Engineering Report

#5

The City College of New York

New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The City College of New York. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 125 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend The City College of New York is $2,385 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at The City College of New York

#6

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 147 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid list, MIT has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,636 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid per year to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full MIT General Mechanical Engineering Report

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 144 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA General Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 99 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UT Rio Grande Valley

Top 15% in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 179 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UIUC is in the top on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

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%. 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 more about General Mechanical Engineering at UIUC

#10

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Stanford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $11,496 for bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University

Top 15% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 190 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UW - Madison also did well on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full UW - Madison General Mechanical Engineering Report

#12

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 289 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $15,336 for bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

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.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at U-M

California State University - Fresno landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 86 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,464 for bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Fresno

With a ranking of #14, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 231 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cal State Fullerton General Mechanical Engineering Report

#12 in overall quality

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Georgia Tech is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 572 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Georgia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $14,739 for bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid per year to attend Georgia Tech.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech

Brigham Young University - Idaho came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Rexburg, Idaho, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 127 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,167 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid per year to attend BYU - I.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Brigham Young University - Idaho

#19 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 273 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid list, UT Austin has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $18,023 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 97%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is a medium-sized school located in Odessa, Texas that handed out 55 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is $10,092 for bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

#19

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

With a ranking of #19, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 461 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Florida is $10,274 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Central Florida General Mechanical Engineering Report

California State University - Northridge landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 226 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUN General Mechanical Engineering Report

Top 20% in overall quality

Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Rolla, Missouri, this medium-sized public school awarded 279 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

Missouri University of Science and Technology also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Missouri University of Science and Technology is $14,262 for bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Missouri University of Science and Technology General Mechanical Engineering Report

Florida International University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. FIU is a large school located in Miami, Florida that handed out 174 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for FIU is $7,296 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full Florida International University General Mechanical Engineering Report

#23

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
Top 10% in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 137 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.

UCLA excels when it comes to general mechanical engineering quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $14,279 for bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

Top 25% in overall quality

University of California - Irvine came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 263 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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.

Full UC Irvine General Mechanical Engineering Report

#25

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
Top 20% in overall quality

North Carolina State University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 288 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, NC State is in the top on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina State University is $16,458 for Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at NC State

Rest of the Best 49 in Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 49 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#29

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#30

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#32

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#34

North Carolina A & T State University

Greensboro, North Carolina
#35

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana
#36

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#37

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#38

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida
#39

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
#41

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#46

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#48

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#49

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

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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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