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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Southwest Region (With Aid)

36 Ranked Colleges
4,578 Degrees Awarded
$13,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 47,598 people earned their degree in mechanical engineering, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States. 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 Southwest region, there were 5,649 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,691 and $21,487 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,578 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 36 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Southwest Region (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 99 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid list, UT Rio Grande Valley has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UT Rio Grande Valley

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. UT Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 273 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $18,023 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, 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 97%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Mechanical Engineering Report

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin landed the #3 spot on the list. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is located in Odessa, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 55 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

UT Permian Basin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is $10,092 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

Full The University of Texas of the Permian Basin Mechanical Engineering Report

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Dallas landed the #4 spot on the list. The University of Texas at Dallas is a large public school situated in Richardson, Texas. It awarded 217 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Dallas, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Dallas is $15,232 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UT Dallas

#5

Rice University

Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Rice University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 39 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Rice also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Rice is $16,999 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Rice

#6

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Texas Tech is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 357 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech University is $17,571 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Texas Tech Mechanical Engineering Report

#7

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 220 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid list, UH has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Houston is $12,838 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Houston

Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Texas A&M University - College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 441 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

Texas A&M College Station also took the #3 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - College Station is $19,057 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University - College Station

With a ranking of #9, The University of Texas at Tyler did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. The University of Texas at Tyler is located in Tyler, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 107 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

UT Tyler did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Tyler is $10,974 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

Full UT Tyler Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UTEP is a public institution located in El Paso, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 198 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,920 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid per year to attend UTEP.

Full UTEP Mechanical Engineering Report

Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. ASU - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 265 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $11,706 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at ASU - Tempe

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Stillwater, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 254 students in 2019-2020.

OSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend OSU is $14,648 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 187 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UTSA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UTSA is $13,853 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

Full The University of Texas at San Antonio Mechanical Engineering Report

#14

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Lamar University is a fairly large school located in Beaumont, Texas that handed out 64 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid list, Lamar University has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lamar University is $12,311 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Lamar University

New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It awarded 109 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $8,659 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

#16

Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, Texas

With a ranking of #16, Prairie View A & M University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Prairie View, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 70 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

PVAMU also took the #18 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for PVAMU is $14,582 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Prairie View A & M University

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is located in Socorro, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 77 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

New Mexico Tech also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $14,595 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid per year to attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico Tech

#18

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

University of North Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. University of North Texas is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 166 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $15,086 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of North Texas

#19

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school handed out 128 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $15,016 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Mechanical Engineering Report

The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. UT Arlington is a public institution located in Arlington, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 156 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Arlington is $14,246 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington

#21

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas

MSU Texas landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Wichita Falls, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,045 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid per year to attend MSU Texas.

Full MSU Texas Mechanical Engineering Report

#22

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 75 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,446 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid per year to attend UNM.

Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report

Texas A&M University - Kingsville came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas A&M University - Kingsville is a medium-sized public school situated in Kingsville, Texas. It awarded 77 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Kingsville is $13,778 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University - Kingsville

#24

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. West Texas A&M University is a public institution located in Canyon, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,761 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree ME students with aid per year to attend West Texas A&M University.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at West Texas A&M University

#25

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas
#22 in overall quality

Tarleton State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Stephenville, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tarleton, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $18,979 for southwest region bachelor’s degree me students with aid per year to attend Tarleton State University.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Tarleton

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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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