by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 62 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for mechanical engineering students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,992 bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of mechanical engineering for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for 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.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a good decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the large city of Atlanta.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus make $9,239 more than the typical me grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
It's difficult to beat Virginia Tech if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.
Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Virginia Tech get an earnings boost of approximately $8,657 above the average earnings of mechanical engineering graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech
Duke University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Duke University earn $20,315 more than the average me grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Duke University
University of Florida is a great choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. UF is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Florida earn $6,605 more than the typical me graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Florida
Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn is a public university with a very large student population.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Auburn University earn $4,382 more than the average me graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Auburn University
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Clemson University make $3,597 more than the standard me graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Clemson University
Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the me program make an average of $69,078 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University
Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Vanderbilt University get $8,386 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University
Located in the medium-sized city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public university with a very large student population.
Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from The University of Alabama get an earnings boost of about $5,615 above the typical earnings of mechanical engineering graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from The University of Alabama
UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the city of Knoxville.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the me program state that they receive average early career wages of $65,756.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of South Carolina - Columbia receive $2,747 more than the typical me graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of South Carolina - Columbia
Located in the suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the me program make about $66,298 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Central FloridaHere are some additional great schools for Mechanical Engineering students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 14 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA |
| 15 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 16 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 17 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 18 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 19 | Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, MS |
| 20 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
Explore the best mechanical engineering schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 225 | 1,787 |
| Georgia | 224 | 1,106 |
| Tennessee | 220 | 538 |
| North Carolina | 213 | 703 |
| Virginia | 213 | 857 |
| South Carolina | 195 | 586 |
| Kentucky | 187 | 330 |
| Alabama | 184 | 922 |
| Louisiana | 171 | 441 |
| Mississippi | 169 | 280 |
| Arkansas | 167 | 274 |
| West Virginia | 147 | 192 |
Mechanical Engineering is one of 41 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Mechanical Engineering | 6,992 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Civil Engineering | 3,350 |
| Electrical Engineering | 2,927 |
| Computer Engineering | 2,537 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 2,056 |
| Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | 1,925 |
| Chemical Engineering | 1,813 |
| Industrial Engineering | 1,686 |
| General Engineering | 801 |
| Environmental Engineering | 357 |
| Materials Engineering | 310 |
