2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #17 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.For its 2023 ranking, College Factual looked at 311 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for mechanical engineering students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 36,809 bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School for Your Bachelor's Degree
The ME bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality ME program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on mechanical engineering students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of mechanical engineering students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for mechanical engineering to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized mechanical engineering related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Mechanical Engineering in the United States
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in ME
It's hard to beat Massachusetts Institute of Technology if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. MIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology earn $15,620 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Duke University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.
Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Duke University get an earnings boost of around $6,538 over the typical income of mechanical engineering graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Duke University
University of Pennsylvania is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering program at University of Pennsylvania earn $13,390 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Pennsylvania
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering has to look into University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn $10,638 more than the standard ME grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Stanford University receive an earnings boost of around $2,231 above the average earnings of mechanical engineering graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Stanford University
Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Cornell University make $7,338 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Cornell University
Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of Notre Dame earn a boost of around $7,914 over the typical earnings of mechanical engineering majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Notre Dame
Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering major at Purdue University - Main Campus get $8,787 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Purdue University - Main Campus
Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering program at Northwestern University make $6,160 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University
Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Atlanta.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus make $5,096 more than the standard ME student.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering major at Carnegie Mellon University earn $3,262 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University
Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley earn a boost of approximately $9,060 over the average earnings of mechanical engineering graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at University of Southern California earn $9,917 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Southern California
WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Washington University in St Louis earn $2,110 more than the typical ME graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St Louis
Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University make $5,787 more than the average ME graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University
UF is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Florida earn $2,421 more than the typical ME student.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Florida
Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Rice University get $5,624 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Rice University
Lehigh is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Bethlehem.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Lehigh University earn $3,721 more than the average ME student.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University
Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Columbia University in the City of New York earn $5,050 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Columbia University in the City of New York
Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.
Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Virginia Tech earn a boost of around $3,798 above the typical earnings of mechanical engineering majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech
UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering program at The University of Texas at Austin earn $8,446 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin
UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Los Angeles receive $4,081 more than the typical ME grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering major at Vanderbilt University get $4,829 more than the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University
Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Terre Haute.
Bachelor's recipients from the mechanical engineering degree program at Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology get $7,540 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology
UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison.
Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison earn a boost of about $5,423 above the typical earnings of mechanical engineering majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Wisconsin - MadisonRest of the Top Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
47 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
48 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
49 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
50 | Northeastern University | Boston, MA |
51 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
52 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
53 | George Washington University | Washington, DC |
54 | Harvard University | Cambridge, MA |
55 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
56 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
57 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA |
58 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | Rolla, MO |
59 | University of Rochester | Rochester, NY |
60 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR |
61 | New York University | New York, NY |
62 | Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX |
Mechanical Engineering by Region
View the Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Region |
---|
Southeast |
New England |
Rocky Mountains |
Plains States |
Middle Atlantic |
Far Western US |
Southwest |
Great Lakes |
Mechanical Engineering Related Rankings by Major
Mechanical Engineering is one of 40 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to ME
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Electrical Engineering | 17,320 |
Civil Engineering | 15,193 |
Computer Engineering | 12,194 |
Chemical Engineering | 10,172 |
Biomedical Engineering | 8,517 |
Industrial Engineering | 5,876 |
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | 5,581 |
General Engineering | 2,652 |
Environmental Engineering | 1,799 |
Materials Engineering | 1,519 |
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Michel Villeneuve. More about our data sources and methodologies.
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