2025 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region
22
Colleges in the Plains States Region
2,877
ME Degrees Awarded
$76,023
Avg Early-Career Salary
Mechanical Engineering is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #21 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 22 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for mechanical engineering students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,877 degrees in mechanical engineering annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School
The me program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering rankings. For our Best Overall Mechanical Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Mechanical Engineering Degree Level
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 the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
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.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering in the Plains States Region
The schools below may not offer all types of me degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
10 Top Plains States Region Schools in ME
Washington University in St Louis is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.
There were about 152 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available. Mechanical Engineering degree recipients from Washington University in St Louis earn a boost of around $5,424 above the typical earnings of mechanical engineering graduates.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St Louis
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a great decision for students interested in a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.
There were about 269 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the me program earn an average of $75,229 for their early career.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Any student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering needs to check out Missouri University of Science and Technology. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Rolla. A Best Colleges rank of #259 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Missouri University of Science and Technology is a great university overall.
There were approximately 278 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Missouri University of Science and Technology in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program state that they receive average early career wages of $75,855.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology
It's hard to beat Iowa State University if you want to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 406 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program state that they receive average early career earnings of $75,119.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University
Iowa is a very large public university located in the city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.
There were about 104 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, me degree recipients generally make around $71,732 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Iowa
Mizzou is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.
There were about 138 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, me degree recipients usually make an average of $71,800 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Missouri - Columbia
North Dakota State University is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Fargo. This university ranks 4th out of 12 schools for overall quality in the state of North Dakota.
There were about 160 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at North Dakota State University in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, me degree recipients usually make an average of $72,158 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from North Dakota State University - Main Campus
UNL is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Lincoln. A Best Colleges rank of #207 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.
There were roughly 162 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent data year. After graduating, me degree recipients generally make an average of $71,318 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Nebraska - Lincoln
KU is a very large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 108 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career income of $70,726.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Kansas
K -State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Manhattan. This university ranks 2nd out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.
There were roughly 194 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at K -State in the most recent data year. After graduating, me degree recipients typically make around $72,627 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University
