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Most Popular Schools for Mechanical Engineering

2026 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools

There are 332 colleges that offer a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Ranked by yearly graduations, here are the most popular below:

Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering School for You

Today’s Mechanical Engineering students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendance, there are many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 332 schools in the United States offering Mechanical Engineering programs. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for Mechanical Engineering majors.

Our 2026 rankings named Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics the most popular school in the U.S. for Mechanical Engineering majors. Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics is a private nonprofit school located in West Mifflin, PA. This school awarded 267 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $53,884. Read More…

#2

Purdue University-Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University-Main Campus landed the #2 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in West Lafayette, IN, this is a public institution. This school awarded 255 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $61,124. Full Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University-Main Campus Report

Tidewater Community College landed the #3 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Tidewater Community College is a public school located in Norfolk, VA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 228 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $35,996. Read More…

American Public University System landed the #4 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. American Public University System is a private for-profit school located in Charles Town, WV. During the most recent year for which we have data, 187 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $57,877. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at American Public University System

#5

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA

ECPI University landed the #5 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Virginia Beach, VA, this is a private for-profit institution. This school awarded 149 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $45,216. Read More…

CUNY New York City College of Technology comes in at #6 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Located in Brooklyn, NY, this is a public institution. This school awarded 133 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,888. Full Mechanical Engineering at CUNY New York City College of Technology Report

#7

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI

Ferris State University landed the #7 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Big Rapids, MI, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 109 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $49,361. Full Mechanical Engineering at Ferris State University Report

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Cincinnati, OH, this is a public institution. This school awarded 101 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $49,323. Full Mechanical Engineering at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Report

Tulsa Technology Center landed the #9 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Tulsa, OK, this is a public institution. This school awarded 91 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $32,908. Read More…

Rochester Institute of Technology landed the #10 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Rochester, NY, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 89 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $64,393. Read More…

Bishop State Community College comes in at #11 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Located in Mobile, AL, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 85 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $35,298. Full Mechanical Engineering at Bishop State Community College Report

Eastern Florida State College comes in at #12 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Eastern Florida State College is a public school located in Melbourne, FL. During the most recent year for which we have data, 85 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $37,099. Read More…

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale comes in at #13 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Located in Carbondale, IL, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 68 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $42,911. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

#14

University of Houston

Houston, TX

University of Houston comes in at #14 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. University of Houston is a public school located in Houston, TX. This school awarded 66 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,424. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Houston

#15

Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, NY

Farmingdale State College comes in at #15 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Located in Farmingdale, NY, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 65 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $42,972. Read More…

#16

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw, GA

Kennesaw State University landed the #16 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Kennesaw, GA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 65 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,335. Full Mechanical Engineering at Kennesaw State University Report

New Jersey Institute of Technology comes in at #17 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public school located in Newark, NJ. During the most recent year for which we have data, 65 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $67,467. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology

H Councill Trenholm State Community College comes in at #18 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. H Councill Trenholm State Community College is a public school located in Montgomery, AL. During the most recent year for which we have data, 64 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $39,198. Read More…

International Air and Hospitality Academy landed the #19 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. International Air and Hospitality Academy is a private for-profit school located in Vancouver, WA. This school awarded 62 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $26,387. Read More…

Columbus State Community College landed the #20 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Columbus State Community College is a public school located in Columbus, OH. During the most recent year for which we have data, 61 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669. Read More…

Wake Technical Community College landed the #21 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Wake Technical Community College is a public school located in Raleigh, NC. This school awarded 61 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $38,942. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Wake Technical Community College

#22

Western New England University

Springfield, MA

Western New England University landed the #22 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Springfield, MA, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 60 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $53,402. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Western New England University

Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City comes in at #23 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Located in Kansas City, MO, this is a public institution. This school awarded 56 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $39,252. Full Mechanical Engineering at Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City Report

Weber State University landed the #24 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Weber State University is a public school located in Ogden, UT. This school awarded 55 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $54,227. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Weber State University

#25

Stark State College

North Canton, OH

Stark State College landed the #25 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in North Canton, OH, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 54 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $39,757. Read More…

#31

Broward College

Fort Lauderdale, FL
#35

Nunez Community College

Chalmette, LA
#38

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, FL
#39

McPherson College

McPherson, KS
#41

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, IN
#44

Savannah Technical College

Savannah, GA
#45

County College of Morris

Randolph, NJ
#46

Indiana University-Indianapolis

Indianapolis, IN
#47

Montana State University

Bozeman, MT
#48

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN
#49

University of Toledo

Toledo, OH
#50

Wayne Community College

Goldsboro, NC

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that also graduate students in this major every year.

Rank College Location
51 Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS
52 SUNY Polytechnic Institute Utica, NY
53 LeTourneau University Longview, TX
54 North Central State College Mansfield, OH
55 Owens Community College Perrysburg, OH
56 George C Wallace Community College-Dothan Dothan, AL
57 Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN
58 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO
59 Ohio Technical College Cleveland, OH
60 Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown, NC
61 Springfield Technical Community College Springfield, MA
62 University of Puerto Rico-Carolina Carolina, PR
63 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide Daytona Beach, FL
64 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
65 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK
66 Purdue University Northwest Hammond, IN
67 Brookdale Community College Lincroft, NJ
68 Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC
69 Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI
70 Pitt Community College Winterville, NC
71 Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Gurabo, PR
72 Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology Wichita, KS
73 California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo, CA
74 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
75 University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla Aguadilla, PR
76 Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH
77 Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA
78 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
79 SUNY Buffalo State University Buffalo, NY
80 Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX
81 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
82 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
83 Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN
84 University of Maine Orono, ME
85 Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT
86 Cuyahoga Community College District Cleveland, OH
87 Connecticut State Community College New Britain, CT
88 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
89 Onondaga Community College Syracuse, NY
90 Pensacola State College Pensacola, FL
91 SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill Cobleskill, NY
92 Beaufort County Community College Washington, NC
93 Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH
94 Terra State Community College Fremont, OH
95 Union County Vocational Technical School Scotch Plains, NJ
96 Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville, NC
97 New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI
98 University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester, NH
99 Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, CO
100 Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Recinto de Guayama Guayama, PR
101 Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building Port Hadlock, WA
102 CUNY Queensborough Community College Bayside, NY
103 Virginia State University Petersburg, VA
104 Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson, NC
105 NHTI-Concord’s Community College Concord, NH
106 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
107 Catawba Valley Community College Hickory, NC
108 Coastal Alabama Community College Bay Minette, AL
109 Florida Gateway College Lake City, FL
110 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
111 Vermont State University Randolph, VT
112 Western Technical College El Paso, TX
113 Augusta Technical College Augusta, GA
114 Camden County College Blackwood, NJ
115 Crowder College Neosho, MO
116 Fairmont State University Fairmont, WV
117 Gaston College Dallas, NC
118 Mitchell Community College Statesville, NC
119 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
120 Santa Fe College Gainesville, FL
121 Triton College River Grove, IL
122 University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR
123 University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA
124 Utah State University Logan, UT
125 Bluefield State University Bluefield, WV
126 Brightpoint Community College Chester, VA
127 Erie Community College Buffalo, NY
128 Hudson Valley Community College Troy, NY
129 Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Recinto de Manati Manati, PR
130 Isothermal Community College Spindale, NC
131 Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX
132 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO
133 Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology Flushing, NY
134 College of Lake County Grayslake, IL
135 Great Basin College Elko, NV
136 Idaho State University Pocatello, ID
137 Mercer County Community College West Windsor, NJ
138 Monroe Community College Rochester, NY
139 Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI
140 Raritan Valley Community College Branchburg, NJ
141 Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury, NC
142 South Carolina State University Orangeburg, SC
143 Alamance Community College Graham, NC
144 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
145 Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC
146 Lakeland Community College Kirtland, OH
147 Middlesex College Edison, NJ
148 Mohawk Valley Community College Utica, NY
149 Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls, OR
150 SUNY College of Technology at Canton Canton, NY
151 Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Lancaster, PA
152 Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee, WI
153 Clark State College Springfield, OH
154 Cleveland State Community College Cleveland, TN
155 Delaware Technical Community College-Terry Dover, DE
156 Florence-Darlington Technical College Florence, SC
157 Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI
158 Oklahoma City Community College Oklahoma City, OK
159 Pellissippi State Community College Knoxville, TN
160 Colorado State University Pueblo Pueblo, CO
161 Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ
162 Greenville Technical College Greenville, SC
163 Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA
164 J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College Huntsville, AL
165 Jamestown Community College Jamestown, NY
166 Kent State University at Tuscarawas New Philadelphia, OH
167 Massachusetts Bay Community College Wellesley Hills, MA
168 Northwest State Community College Archbold, OH
169 Western Piedmont Community College Morganton, NC
170 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
171 Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, IL
172 Niagara County Community College Sanborn, NY
173 Ogeechee Technical College Statesboro, GA
174 Rowan College at Burlington County Mount Laurel, NJ
175 SUNY Corning Community College Corning, NY
176 Southeast Technical College Sioux Falls, SD
177 Virginia Peninsula Community College Hampton, VA
178 Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock, NC
179 Bristol Community College Fall River, MA
180 Clovis Community College Clovis, NM
181 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
182 Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College Goodland, KS
183 Glen Oaks Community College Centreville, MI
184 Lorain County Community College Elyria, OH
185 Northeast Iowa Community College Calmar, IA
186 Oakton College Des Plaines, IL
187 Southeastern Technical College Vidalia, GA
188 Zane State College Zanesville, OH
189 Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire, WI
190 Johnston Community College Smithfield, NC
191 Macomb Community College Warren, MI
192 Miami University-Hamilton Hamilton, OH
193 Nashua Community College Nashua, NH
194 Navajo Technical University Crownpoint, NM
195 SUNY Broome Community College Binghamton, NY
196 Sussex County Community College Newton, NJ
197 Cape Fear Community College Wilmington, NC
198 Century College White Bear Lake, MN
199 Essex County College Newark, NJ
200 Gulf Coast State College Panama City, FL

Mechanical Engineering by Region

View the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking for a specific region near you.

Region
New England
Middle Atlantic
Great Lakes
Plains States
Southeast
Southwest
Rocky Mountains
Far Western US

More Mechanical Engineering Rankings

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking, along with other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Mechanical Engineering Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering Technology 3,162
Aeronautical Engineering Technology 1,144
Automotive Engineering Technology 1,112
Other Mechanical Engineering 478
Marine Engineering Technology/Technician 68
Motorsports Engineering Technology/Technician 32
Related Major Annual Graduates
Electromechanical Engineering 11,920
Industrial Production Technology 11,391
Environmental Control Technology 10,798
Drafting & Design Engineering 9,702
Electronics Engineering 9,196

References

*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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