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.
Featured schools near , edit
2026 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for Mechanical Engineering majors.
Top 25 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools
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…
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
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
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
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
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…
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
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
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…
Rest of the Top Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that also graduate students in this major every year.
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.
Majors Related to Mechanical Engineering
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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.