2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking.
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 the Great Lakes region, there were 8,300 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,192 and $24,168 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,416 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 56 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.
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.
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Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 376 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
Purdue also took the #6 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.
The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 179 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid per year to attend UIUC.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 190 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 289 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,336 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid per year to attend U-M.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Northwest. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Purdue University Northwest is a medium-sized school located in Hammond, Indiana that handed out 62 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid per year to attend Purdue Northwest.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Purdue Northwest
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 289 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
Michigan State also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University
University of Wisconsin - Stout came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Stout also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $15,839 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Wisconsin - Stout Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 173 students in 2019-2020.
UIC also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Michigan - Dearborn is a medium-sized school located in Dearborn, Michigan that handed out 157 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,473 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid per year to attend University of Michigan - Dearborn.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Michigan Technological University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Michigan Technological University is located in Houghton, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 283 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.
Michigan Tech also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Michigan Tech is $16,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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%.
University of Wisconsin - Platteville ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Platteville, Wisconsin, and it awarded 190 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Platteville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Platteville is $15,718 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UW - Platteville
With a ranking of #12, Oakland University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 182 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.
Oakland did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid per year to attend Oakland University.
Wright State University - Lake Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Wright State University - Lake Campus is a small school located in Celina, Ohio that handed out 21 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Wright State University - Lake Campus is $12,099 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Wright State University - Lake Campus
With a ranking of #14, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 175 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,285 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis.
With a ranking of #15, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 248 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
Ohio State also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $17,616 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, 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 more about Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of Michigan - Flint did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. University of Michigan - Flint is located in Flint, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $12,734 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid per year to attend UM Flint.
Saginaw Valley State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in University Center, Michigan, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Saginaw Valley State University is $14,248 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.
Full Saginaw Valley State University Mechanical Engineering Report
Northern Illinois University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 123 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.
Full Northern Illinois University Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UWM is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 115 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,876 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid per year to attend UWM.
Full University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Mechanical Engineering Report
Lake Superior State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Sault Ste Marie, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Lake Superior State University is $12,398 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Lake Superior State University
Wayne State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Wayne State University is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 84 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Wayne State University is $13,965 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Wayne State University
University of Southern Indiana came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. USI is located in Evansville, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Southern Indiana is $13,437 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.
With a ranking of #24, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. GVSU is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 50 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid per year to attend GVSU.
The 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 Grand Valley State University Mechanical Engineering Report
Central Michigan University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Central Michigan University is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 48 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $15,981 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Central Michigan University
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Michel Villeneuve.
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