2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools
Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering School for You
In 2020-2021, 46,178 people earned a degree or certificate in mechanical engineering, making the major the #21 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 319 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for ME majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in Mechanical Engineering
Our 2023 rankings named Olin College the best school in the United States for mechanical engineering students. Olin College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Needham.
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The excellent programs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the United States. MIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge.
ME majors at MIT take out an average of $11,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $535, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.
After completing their degree, ME graduates from Stanford carry an average student debtload of $11,204.
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Out of the 319 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Notre Dame landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
On average, ME graduates from Notre Dame take out $21,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $643.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Located in the city of Terre Haute, Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, ME graduates from Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $876.
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Harvard University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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Duke University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
On average, ME graduates from Duke take out $12,485 in student loans while working on their degree.
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California State University Maritime Academy ranked #8 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Cal Maritime is a small public school located in the midsize city of Vallejo.
While working on their degree, ME majors at Cal Maritime accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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Kettering University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Kettering is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Flint.
After completing their degree, ME graduates from Kettering carry an average student debtload of $28,042. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $313, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, ME graduates from UPenn carry an average student debtload of $11,455.
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With a ranking of #11, Rice University did quite well on this year’s best schools for mechanical engineering students. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
On average, ME graduates from Rice take out $11,017 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Northwestern University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, ME majors at Northwestern accumulate an average of around $15,500 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #13, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on this year’s best schools for mechanical engineering students. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at U-M take out is $19,375. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $434.
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The University of Texas at Austin came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, ME graduates from UT Austin take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $367.
Full Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin Report
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Cornell University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at Cornell take out is $15,595.
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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.
ME majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $418.
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Vanderbilt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at Vanderbilt take out is $14,000.
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Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, ME graduates from Purdue carry an average student debtload of $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $572.
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University of California - Berkeley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
ME majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $13,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $392, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #20, University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well on this year’s best schools for mechanical engineering students. UW - Stout is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Menomonie.
While working on their degree, ME majors at UW - Stout accumulate an average of around $27,123 in student debt.
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Carnegie Mellon University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.
After completing their degree, ME graduates from Carnegie Mellon carry an average student debtload of $22,576.
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Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Atlanta.
After completing their degree, ME graduates from Georgia Tech carry an average student debtload of $26,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $404.
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Bucknell University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #23 on the list. Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Lewisburg.
While working on their degree, ME majors at Bucknell accumulate an average of around $24,125 in student debt.
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Lafayette College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best mechanical engineering programs. Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Easton.
While working on their degree, ME majors at Lafayette accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #25, Santa Clara University did quite well on this year’s best schools for mechanical engineering students. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Santa Clara.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at SCU take out is $20,167.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Mechanical Engineering Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 49 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 50 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | Rolla, MO |
| 51 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
| 52 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 53 | Lawrence Technological University | Southfield, MI |
| 54 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 55 | Dunwoody College of Technology | Minneapolis, MN |
| 56 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
| 57 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 58 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 59 | Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, NJ |
| 60 | Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX |
| 61 | Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI |
| 62 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 63 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
Mechanical Engineering by Region
View the Best 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
Rankings in Majors Related to ME
One of 40 majors within the area of study, mechanical engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
| Civil Engineering | 21,388 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 12,811 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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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