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2025 Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois

9 Colleges in Illinois
1,248 General Mechanical Engineering Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in general mechanical engineering, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #14 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for general mechanical engineering students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,248 degrees in general mechanical engineering to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great General Mechanical Engineering School

Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois The general mechanical engineering program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Mechanical Engineering rankings. For our Best Overall General Mechanical Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

General Mechanical Engineering Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in General Mechanical Engineering
Master's Degrees in General Mechanical Engineering
Doctor's Degrees in General Mechanical Engineering

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best General Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 General Mechanical Engineering in Illinois

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the general mechanical engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Illinois Schools in General Mechanical Engineering

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
125 General Mechanical Engineering Degrees Awarded

Northwestern University is a good choice for students interested in a degree in general mechanical engineering. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 125 general mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general mechanical engineering from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
370 General Mechanical Engineering Degrees Awarded

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in general mechanical engineering. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 370 general mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
208 General Mechanical Engineering Degrees Awarded

University of Illinois at Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in general mechanical engineering. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 208 general mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general mechanical engineering from University of Illinois at Chicago

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
133 General Mechanical Engineering Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in general mechanical engineering needs to look into Illinois Institute of Technology. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. This school ranks 23rd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 133 general mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Tech in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general mechanical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL
62 General Mechanical Engineering Degrees Awarded

Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Peoria. A Best Colleges rank of #519 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Bradley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 62 general mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general mechanical engineering from Bradley University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
153 General Mechanical Engineering Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 20th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 153 general mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general mechanical engineering from Northern Illinois University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IL
91 General Mechanical Engineering Degrees Awarded

SIUE is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Edwardsville. This university ranks 31st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 91 general mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general mechanical engineering from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL
67 General Mechanical Engineering Degrees Awarded

Located in the distant town of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 67 general mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general mechanical engineering from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In IL
23.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 37th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 13 general mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general mechanical engineering from Western Illinois University

Best General Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best General Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 2,106
Michigan 915 2,496
Indiana 737 1,329
Wisconsin 672 855

View All Rankings >

General Mechanical Engineering is one of 0 different types of Mechanical Engineering programs to choose from.

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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