by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2021-2022, 44,794 people earned their degree in mechanical engineering, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. In , mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $68,989 and had an average of $22,844 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 2,877 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $67,644 and $23,280 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,511 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,724 and $22,887 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 30 colleges that offered a degree in mechanical engineering. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their mechanical engineering program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region”.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region list. SD Mines is a small school located in Rapid City, South Dakota that handed out 95 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Missouri University of Science and Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region. Rolla, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s me degrees to 240 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region list. Iowa State is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 406 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Out of the 30 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Dordt University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s me students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Dordt University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region. Fargo, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s me degrees to 154 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at North Dakota State University - Main Campus
University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Minnesota - Duluth is located in Duluth, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 106 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%.
Benedictine College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Atchison, Kansas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s me students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad 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 Benedictine College
With a ranking of #8, University of North Dakota did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region list. Grand Forks, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s me degrees to 77 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of St Thomas Minnesota came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s me degrees to 80 students in 2021-2022.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Kansas State University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region list. K -State is a fairly large school located in Manhattan, Kansas that handed out 182 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
South Dakota State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Brookings, South Dakota, and it awarded 95 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Jamestown did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #12. UJ is a small school located in Jamestown, North Dakota that handed out 8 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Jamestown
Wichita State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Wichita State University is a public institution located in Wichita, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Wichita State University
University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking. UNL is a large public school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 130 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region list. KU is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 95 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #16, University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, this fairly large public school awarded 36 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s me students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Saint Ambrose University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #17. St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Davenport, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Washington University in St Louis landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #19. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 127 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #20, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region list. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 202 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Saint Cloud State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Cloud State University is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Saint Cloud State University
With a ranking of #22, University of Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 89 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad 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 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Iowa
Dunwoody College of Technology landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Dunwoody College of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Dunwoody College of Technology
University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #24. University of Missouri - St Louis is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified 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 Missouri - St Louis
Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota State University - Mankato is a public institution located in Mankato, Minnesota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Minnesota State University - Mankato
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
