2023 Most Well Attended ME Major
426
Ranked Colleges
46,178
Degrees Awarded
$35,200
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended ME Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 46,178 people earned their degree in mechanical engineering, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $69,007 and had an average of $23,944 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended ME Major” ranking analyzed 426 colleges that offered a degree in mechanical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular mechanical engineering programs in the United States.
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 “Most Well Attended ME Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Most Well Attended ME Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended ME Major”.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Mechanical Engineering
Out of the 426 schools in the Most Well Attended ME Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 794 students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full Georgia Tech Mechanical Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major list. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 582 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended ME Major. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 597 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UF
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major list. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 538 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University - College Station
Out of the 426 schools in the Most Well Attended ME Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Florida landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Central Florida is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 503 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
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 3.7% 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%.
Full UCF Mechanical Engineering Report
Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major ranking, coming in at #6. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 466 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major ranking, coming in at #7. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 462 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full U-M Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #8, Iowa State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 451 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University
Michigan Technological University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major ranking, coming in at #9. Michigan Tech is a public institution located in Houghton, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 429 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Technological University
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 413 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe
North Carolina State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended ME Major ranking. NC State is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 402 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full NC State Mechanical Engineering Report
Clemson University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Clemson, South Carolina, this large public school awarded 385 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. 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 Clemson
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major ranking, coming in at #13. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 379 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UCSD
The University of Alabama ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major list. Tuscaloosa, Alabama is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 378 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UA Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #15, Northeastern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major list. Northeastern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 377 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Northeastern
University of Maryland - College Park ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major list. University of Maryland - College Park is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 374 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UMCP
Colorado School of Mines landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major ranking. Colorado School of Mines is a public institution located in Golden, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 361 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major list. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 359 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full The University of Texas at Austin Mechanical Engineering Report
University of California - Irvine ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 359 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Irvine Mechanical Engineering Report
Oregon State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major ranking, coming in at #20. Oregon State University is a large school located in Corvallis, Oregon that handed out 345 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University
With a ranking of #21, University at Buffalo did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major list. University at Buffalo is located in Buffalo, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 346 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, 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 87%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University at Buffalo
Texas Tech University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major ranking. Texas Tech is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 342 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended ME Major list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 331 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Colorado Boulder landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended ME Major ranking. University of Colorado Boulder is a large school located in Boulder, Colorado that handed out 329 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended ME Major ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 325 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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 94%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State
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