2022 Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Iowa, there were 607 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,575 and $24,231 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in Iowa (With Aid)

#1

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$15,496 Average Net Price

$46,410 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 429 students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $15,496 for Iowa ME students with aid per year to attend Iowa State.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$19,145 Average Net Price

$44,594 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 138 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,145 for iowa me students with aid per year to attend Iowa.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa Mechanical Engineering Report

#3

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$25,102 Average Net Price

$48,233 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dordt University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Dordt University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux Center, Iowa. It awarded 12 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dordt, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $25,102 for Iowa ME students with aid per year to attend Dordt.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Dordt Mechanical Engineering Report

#4

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

#4 in overall quality

$26,204 Average Net Price

$45,438 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Ambrose University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. This small school is located in Davenport, Iowa, and it awarded 25 ’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Ambrose University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Ambrose University is $26,204 for iowa me students with aid.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at St. Ambrose University

• Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (With Aid)

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.

Featured Engineering Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >