2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, mechanical engineering was ranked #21 in the country. In fact 46,178 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
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 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.
The Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 55 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree 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.
Top 10 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - Stout to be the best value school for mechanical engineering students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the distant town of Menomonie, UW - Stout is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
UW - Stout undergraduate students pay an average of $17,820 in tuition and fees each year. On average, ME graduates from UW - Stout take out $27,238 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
UW - Stout excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Stout Report
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Out of the 55 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Akron Main Campus landed the # 2 spot on the list. University of Akron Main Campus is a large public school located in the midsize city of Akron.
University of Akron Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year. ME majors at University of Akron Main Campus take out an average of $25,445 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $228, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Akron Main Campus Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Michigan University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in tuition and fees each year. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $274.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Platteville is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Platteville.
UW - Platteville undergraduate students pay an average of $16,483 in tuition and fees each year. On average, ME graduates from UW - Platteville take out $23,668 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $180, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
UW - Platteville excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Youngstown State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.
Youngstown State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,732 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from Youngstown State University carry an average student debtload of $24,689.
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With a ranking of #6, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, ME majors at SIUE accumulate an average of around $22,299 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $231.
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Lake Superior State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Lake Superior State University is a small public school located in the town of Sault Ste Marie.
Lake Superior State University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,200 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from Lake Superior State University carry an average student debtload of $29,037.
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With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NIU are $14,738 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from NIU carry an average student debtload of $27,219. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $192, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Grand Valley State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree mechanical engineering programs. GVSU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Allendale.
GVSU undergraduate students pay an average of $19,628 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Grand Valley State University Report
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Baker College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the distant town of Owosso, Baker College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Baker College are $12,420 per year.
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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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Wright State University - Lake Campus | Celina, OH |
Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State
Explore the best mechanical engineering schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 2,498 |
| Ohio | 2,106 |
| Illinois | 1,183 |
| Indiana | 1,336 |
| Wisconsin | 855 |
More Mechanical Engineering Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Majors Related to ME
Mechanical Engineering is one of 40 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to ME
| 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.
- 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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