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Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region

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2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region

66 Colleges
$65,486 Avg Salary
$24,571 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering School for You

Mechanical Engineering is the #21 most popular major in the country with 46,178 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 66 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for ME majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools

#1

Duke University

Durham, NC

Our 2023 rankings named Duke University the best school in the Southeast Region for mechanical engineering students. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, ME graduates from Duke carry an average student debtload of $12,485.

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#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

The excellent programs at Vanderbilt University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, ME majors at Vanderbilt accumulate an average of around $14,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University

The excellent programs at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the Southeast Region . Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the large city of Atlanta.

ME majors at Georgia Tech take out an average of $26,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $404, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Report

#4

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Virginia Tech is a great place for mechanical engineering students. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

After completing their degree, ME graduates from Virginia Tech carry an average student debtload of $24,998. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $399.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region list. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

ME majors at University of Virginia take out an average of $23,567 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#6

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida ranked #6 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, ME majors at UF accumulate an average of around $19,250 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $157, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Florida Report

North Carolina State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, ME graduates from NC State take out $23,782 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $318.

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#8

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

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

While working on their degree, ME majors at Clemson accumulate an average of around $22,899 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $382, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University

#9

Auburn University

Auburn, AL

Auburn University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best mechanical engineering programs. Auburn is a very large public school located in the city of Auburn.

After completing their degree, ME graduates from Auburn carry an average student debtload of $25,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $483.

Read More…

#10

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

University of Georgia ranked #10 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region list. UGA is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Athens.

While working on their degree, ME majors at UGA accumulate an average of around $22,874 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $146.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Georgia

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Mechanical Engineering students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
12 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
13 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State

Explore the best mechanical engineering colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 1,418
Virginia 947
North Carolina 918
Florida 2,254
Tennessee 603
Kentucky 391
South Carolina 715
Louisiana 453
Arkansas 280
Alabama 1,019
Mississippi 309
West Virginia 217

One of 40 majors within the area of study, mechanical engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

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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