2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k
14
Ranked Colleges
2,232
Degrees Awarded
$17,900
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 2,232 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,068 and $25,287 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in mechanical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality mechanical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools
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 in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania me students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 147 students in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $580 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UPenn
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Carnegie Mellon University landed the #2 spot on the list. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 298 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $16,456 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Carnegie Mellon University.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lafayette College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Lafayette College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Easton, Pennsylvania. It awarded 60 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Lafayette also took the #8 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $11,728 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lafayette College.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Lafayette College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehigh University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Lehigh University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It awarded 130 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lehigh, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lehigh is $15,561 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 more about Mechanical Engineering at Lehigh University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 236 students in 2020-2021.
Pitt also took the #5 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pitt is $15,084 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full Pitt Mechanical Engineering Report
Villanova University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 89 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Villanova, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Villanova is $24,907 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 more about Mechanical Engineering at Villanova
Bucknell University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bucknell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bucknell, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bucknell University is $22,722 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 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 92%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Bucknell University
Temple University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 110 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Temple also took the #9 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Temple University is $18,173 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Temple
With a ranking of #9, York College of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in York, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 48 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
YCP also took the #12 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend York College of Pennsylvania is $17,617 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at YCP
Gannon University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Erie, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.
Gannon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $18,292 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Gannon University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Gannon
University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Pitt Johnstown is a small public school situated in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 46 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt Johnstown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $10,570 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pitt Johnstown.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full Pitt Johnstown Mechanical Engineering Report
Drexel University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 200 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Drexel, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Drexel University is $24,508 for Pennsylvania ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Drexel University Mechanical Engineering Report
Wilkes University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wilkes University is located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
Wilkes did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $25,058 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wilkes.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Wilkes
Widener University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chester, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 40 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
Widener did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $29,378 for pennsylvania me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Widener.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Widener
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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
- *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.
Credits
