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2022 Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

9 Ranked Colleges
1,232 Degrees Awarded
$12,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Mechanical Engineering is the 20th most popular major in the country with 47,598 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,495 and had an average of $23,104 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,232 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,288 and $21,821 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality 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 mechanical engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The me 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 ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 128 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $3,995 for illinois me students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern University Mechanical Engineering Report

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 300 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $8,464 for Illinois ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIUC.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UIUC

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 86 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $9,938 for Illinois ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at SIUE

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 247 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $11,185 for Illinois ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 141 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $15,861 for Illinois ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Northern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 63 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $14,306 for Illinois ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.

WIU also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $14,526 for illinois me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Full WIU Mechanical Engineering Report

#8

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 84 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley University is $18,232 for Illinois ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Bradley University Mechanical Engineering Report

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 166 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois me students whose families make $30-$48k list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Tech is $18,720 for illinois me students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 more about Mechanical Engineering at Illinois Tech

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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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