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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
$27,500 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that 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 Illinois, there were 1,248 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,610 and $21,335 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in mechanical engineering. That schools that top this list have a program in mechanical engineering in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois”.

Top 10 Most Focused Colleges for Mechanical Engineering in Illinois

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois list. Illinois Institute of Technology is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 133 ’s me degrees to qualified students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Report

2
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bradley University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois. Bradley University is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 62 ’s me degrees in 2021-2022.

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

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Bradley

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 153 ’s me degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at NIU

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 208 ’s me degrees to qualified students.

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 UIC Mechanical Engineering Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 91 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

6

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s me degrees to 370 students in 2021-2022.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UIUC

7

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 67 degrees to qualified ’s me students 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Mechanical Engineering Report

8
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 125 ’s me degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern

9

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 13 ’s me degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at WIU

10
North Park crest
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on ME Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s me students 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 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at North Park University

Notes and References

References

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