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Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois

8 Colleges
$71,610 Avg Salary
$22,426 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering School for You

With 346 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, mechanical engineering is the #38 most popular major in Illinois.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois

Check out the ME programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top Illinois Schools in Mechanical Engineering

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in Illinois for mechanical engineering students. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University

The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in Illinois. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.

Read More…

#3

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Peoria.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Bradley University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Illinois list. Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology Report

Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.

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Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a large student population.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s best schools for mechanical engineering students. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

With a ranking of #8, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best schools for mechanical engineering students. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a large student population.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 592
Ohio 395
Indiana 282
Wisconsin 96

Mechanical Engineering is one of 39 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 11,021
Civil Engineering 6,042
Computer Engineering 5,557
Biomedical Engineering 4,252
General Engineering 3,548

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 8 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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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