2023 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (With Aid)
312
Ranked Colleges
46,178
Degrees Awarded
$12,000
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 ME Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 46,178 people earned their degree in mechanical engineering, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $69,007 and had an average of $23,944 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 312 colleges that offered a degree in mechanical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent mechanical engineering programs, but they also cost less that 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 mechanical engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (With Aid)
Out of the 312 schools in the Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 597 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
UF also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $5,135 for ME students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 Mechanical Engineering at UF
Out of the 312 schools in the Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 253 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $12,894 for ME students with aid.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 582 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,377 for ME 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 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%.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report
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 ME Schools For Those Getting Aid. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 259 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Seattle is also in the top of our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $12,017 for ME students with aid per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 93%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UW Seattle
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid list. MIT is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 291 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
MIT also took the #1 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $16,407 for ME students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%.
Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Report
The City College of New York landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 161 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $2,805 for ME students with aid per year to attend The City College of New York.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at The City College of New York
With a ranking of #7, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 462 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $14,878 for me students with aid per year to attend U-M.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national 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.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Mechanical Engineering Report
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 252 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #19 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $15,023 for ME students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 96%.
Full UCLA Mechanical Engineering Report
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 794 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgia Tech, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is $14,974 for ME students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 359 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
UT Austin also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $18,350 for me students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 300 students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UIUC also did well on our “Best 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 UIUC is $14,321 for ME students with aid.
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 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UIUC
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 379 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCSD is also in the top of our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $15,240 for me students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Mechanical Engineering at University of California - San Diego
With a ranking of #13, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 268 students in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,234 for ME students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UW - Madison
With a ranking of #14, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 173 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $3,302 for ME students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles
University of Central Florida came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school awarded 503 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,618 for me students with aid per year to attend UCF.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UCF Mechanical Engineering Report
University of California - Davis landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 274 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UC Davis is also in the top of our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $15,768 for me students with aid per year to attend University of California - Davis.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 93%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UC Davis
With a ranking of #17, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Richardson, Texas, this large public school handed out 293 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $15,526 for ME students with aid per year to attend UT Dallas.
The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UT Dallas Mechanical Engineering Report
North Carolina State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 402 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, NC State is also in the top of our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina State University is $16,411 for me students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at North Carolina State University
University of California - Berkeley landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 320 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley also took the #15 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,032 for me students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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 Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Berkeley
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 153 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $3,743 for ME students with aid.
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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UT Rio Grande Valley
University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 243 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,346 for me students with aid per year to attend USF Tampa.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at USF Tampa
With a ranking of #22, Missouri University of Science and Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Rolla, Missouri, and it awarded 272 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Missouri University of Science and Technology is also in the top of our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $12,964 for me students with aid per year to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, 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 85%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology
Florida International University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida International University is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 174 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Florida International University is $5,298 for ME students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Florida International University
With a ranking of #24, University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Michigan - Dearborn is a medium-sized school located in Dearborn, Michigan that handed out 183 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $12,855 for ME students with aid per year to attend University of Michigan - Dearborn.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan - Dearborn
California State University - Northridge came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 234 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $8,523 for ME students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUN Mechanical Engineering Report
