2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania
14
Ranked Colleges
1,717
Degrees Awarded
$66,760
Avg Salary
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Mechanical Engineering is the 21st most popular major in the country with 46,178 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 2,232 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,068 and $25,287 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,717 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,741 and $27,572 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in mechanical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great mechanical engineering programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the mechanical engineering program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree vets studying me.
Top 14 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Drexel University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s. Drexel University is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 168 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Drexel also took the #7 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Of the 23,589 students enrolled at Drexel University, 2 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Drexel University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Drexel University Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Carnegie Mellon University landed the #2 spot on the list. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 121 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon also took the #2 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Among the 13,519 students enrolled at Carnegie Mellon University, 117 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 72 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,422. During this same period, 36 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Carnegie Mellon Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a public institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 184 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt also took the #5 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 509 of the 32,277 students enrolled at Pitt were GI Bill® students, of which 364 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,281. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Pitt Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #4 spot on the list. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree vets studying me list, UPenn has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Pennsylvania supports 26,552 students, and 324 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 131 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,383. In addition to receiving other benefits, 78 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
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Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Wilkes University landed the #5 spot on the list. Wilkes University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree vets studying me list, Wilkes has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Among the 4,781 students enrolled at Wilkes, 81 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 42 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,000. On top of their other funding sources, 20 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Wilkes does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Wilkes University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #6, Villanova University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s list. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It awarded 69 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree vets studying me list, Villanova has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 997 of the 11,032 students enrolled at Villanova University were GI Bill® students, of which 824 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,584. On top of their other funding sources, 41 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
York College of Pennsylvania ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s list. York, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.
YCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Of the 4,039 students enrolled at York College of Pennsylvania, 135 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 91 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,343. During this same period, 5 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Temple University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s ranking. Temple University is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 104 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Temple did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Our most recent data shows that 830 of the 37,236 students enrolled at Temple were GI Bill® students, of which 510 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,479. In addition to receiving other benefits, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Temple does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 More…
With a ranking of #9, University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s list. University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is a small school located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that handed out 46 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pitt Johnstown, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Among the 2,356 students enrolled at Pitt Johnstown, 54 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 25 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,575. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Pitt Johnstown offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown Veteran Student Life Report
Gannon University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s list. Gannon University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Erie, Pennsylvania. It awarded 20 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Gannon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Of the 4,251 students enrolled at Gannon, 51 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 31 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,740. On top of their other funding sources, 11 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Gannon does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Gannon University]](/colleges/gannon-university/student-life/veterans/)
Lehigh University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s ranking. Lehigh University is a medium-sized school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that handed out 95 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lehigh, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.According to our most recent data, Lehigh University supports 7,067 students, and 34 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 16 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,051. On top of their other funding sources, 15 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Lehigh University]](/colleges/lehigh-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #12, Lafayette College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s list. Easton, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.
Lafayette also took the #8 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Of the 2,514 students enrolled at Lafayette College, 14 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $21,418. To help with additional expenses, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Lafayette]](/colleges/lafayette-college/student-life/veterans/)
Bucknell University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Bucknell also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #6.Of the 3,726 students enrolled at Bucknell University, 31 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,865. To help with additional expenses, 14 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Bucknell]](/colleges/bucknell-university/student-life/veterans/)
Widener University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for ME for a Bachelor’s list. Widener is a medium-sized school located in Chester, Pennsylvania that handed out 35 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Widener not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Among the 6,150 students enrolled at Widener, 111 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 51 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,151. In addition to receiving other benefits, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Widener University Veteran Student Life Report
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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
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