2023 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $48-$75k)
312
Ranked Colleges
46,178
Degrees Awarded
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 For Those Making $48-$75k” 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.
For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 312 colleges that offer a degree in mechanical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great mechanical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 For Those Making $48-$75k”.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for me students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 253 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our me students whose families make $48-$75k list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $7,081 for me students whose families make $48-$75k.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Stanford
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. MIT is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 291 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
MIT also took the #1 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MIT is $2,834 for me students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at MIT
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 141 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
Duke also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $7,160 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Duke University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 205 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $8,106 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Columbia
Out of the 312 schools in the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 142 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $5,849 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 97%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern
With a ranking of #6, Olin College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Needham, Massachusetts, and it awarded 21 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Olin College 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. It costs about $14,300 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Olin College.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Olin College
Harvard University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Harvard is also in the top of our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $2,669 for me students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Harvard University.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 Harvard
With a ranking of #8, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Johns Hopkins is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 191 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also took the #3 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,457 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins
With a ranking of #9, Rice University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 77 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
Rice also took the #17 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $6,152 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 97%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Rice University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 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. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $10,481 for me students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Princeton University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 69 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Princeton 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 yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $5,542 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Princeton University Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #12, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 66 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt University is $7,694 for me students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University
With a ranking of #13, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school handed out 597 diplomas 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 UF is $8,394 for me students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UF
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 582 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $8,450 for me students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus
Cornell University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 214 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our me students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cornell has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $9,785 for me students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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 Cornell Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. 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.
In addition to being on our me students whose families make $48-$75k list, UPenn has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $12,020 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 95%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UPenn
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 259 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle excels when it comes to ME quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $8,393 for me students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW Seattle.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UW Seattle
With a ranking of #18, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 156 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WUSTL also took the #16 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington University in St Louis is $8,149 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 94%.
Full Washington University in St Louis Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #19, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 320 students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $13,423 for me students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Berkeley Mechanical Engineering Report
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 252 degrees to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $12,644 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UCLA Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #21, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 268 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $10,364 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Madison.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 794 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia Tech also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $15,415 for me students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Georgia Tech.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 300 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UIUC is in the top on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $11,505 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 285 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
UMN Twin Cities excels when it comes to ME quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $12,911 for ME students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UMN Twin Cities
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 274 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students 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 ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,193 for me students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UC Davis Mechanical Engineering Report
