2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering School for You
In 2020-2021, 9,007 people earned a degree or certificate in mechanical engineering, making the major the #32 most popular in the United States.
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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. This report analyzed 216 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for ME students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the United States
Check out the ME programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Mechanical Engineering
Our 2023 rankings named University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez the best value school in the United States for mechanical engineering students. UPR Mayaguez is a large public school located in the city of Mayaguez.
UPR Mayaguez undergraduate students pay an average of $4,840 in tuition and fees each year.
The excellent programs at Brigham Young University - Provo helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the United States. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.
BYU undergraduate students pay an average of $6,120 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, BYU also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Brigham Young University - Provo Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Youngstown State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Youngstown State University are $9,732 per year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a large student population.
North Dakota State University undergraduate students pay an average of $14,876 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, North Dakota State University is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list.
The excellent programs at Northern Illinois University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the United States. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #7 on the list. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Akron.
University of Akron Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Akron Main Campus Report
Purdue University Northwest landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value mechanical engineering programs. Purdue Northwest is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Hammond.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Purdue Northwest are $14,349 per year.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University Northwest
Lawrence Technological University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value mechanical engineering programs. Located in the small city of Southfield, Lawrence Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lawrence Tech are $37,680 per year.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Lawrence Technological University
Villanova University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #10 on the list. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Villanova.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Villanova are $59,020 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Villanova also is in the top 5% of our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value mechanical engineering programs. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo undergraduate students pay an average of $28,105 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
University of Dayton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #12 on the list. UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Dayton.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UDayton are $44,890 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UDayton is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list.
Seattle University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Seattle U are $49,335 per year.
Seattle U excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list.
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UT Austin are $40,996 a year.
UT Austin excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list.
Bradley University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Peoria.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bradley are $36,360 per year.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Bradley University
University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UNL undergraduate students pay an average of $26,720 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UNL also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Loyola Marymount University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value mechanical engineering programs. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Loyola Marymount are $53,051 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Loyola Marymount also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
California Baptist University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Cal Baptist is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Riverside.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal Baptist are $37,018 a year.
Michigan Technological University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value mechanical engineering programs. Located in the remote town of Houghton, Michigan Tech is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Michigan Tech are $39,723 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Michigan Tech is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list.
San Jose State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,732 in tuition and fees each year.
San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at San Jose State University
Santa Clara University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SCU are $55,860 per year.
SCU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Santa Clara University Report
With a ranking of #22, Marquette University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Marquette undergraduate students pay an average of $45,766 in tuition and fees each year.
Marquette excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list.
University of Delaware came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. UD is a very large public school located in the suburb of Newark.
UD undergraduate students pay an average of $36,880 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UD also is in the top 15% of our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Delaware Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #24 on the list. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.
UW - Madison undergraduate students pay an average of $38,608 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison also is in the top 10% of our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
South Dakota State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Dakota State are $12,809 a year.
South Dakota State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list.
Full Mechanical Engineering at South Dakota State University Report
Rest of the Top Best Value Mechanical Engineering 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 Value Mechanical Engineering Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY |
| 33 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 35 | University of St Thomas Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
| 35 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 37 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 38 | University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 39 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona, CA |
| 40 | Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI |
| 41 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 42 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach | Daytona Beach, FL |
| 43 | Lehigh University | Bethlehem, PA |
Mechanical Engineering by Region
View the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Mechanical Engineering Rankings
Majors Related to ME
Mechanical Engineering is one of 39 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to ME
| 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 25 schools only.
- 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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