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Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

55 Colleges
$17,240 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$64,776 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Check out the ME bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Wisconsin - Stout the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the distant town of Menomonie, UW - Stout is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Stout are $17,820 a year. On average, ME graduates from UW - Stout take out $27,238 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Stout is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read More…

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Akron Main Campus is a great value for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Akron.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 per 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

#3

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Michigan University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Michigan are $13,094 a year. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $274.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Central Michigan University

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 medium-sized public school located in the distant 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 also claimed a spot on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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#5

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH

Out of the 55 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Youngstown State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Youngstown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Youngstown State University are $9,732 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from Youngstown State University carry an average student debtload of $24,689.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Youngstown State University

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree mechanical engineering programs. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a large student population.

SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in tuition and fees each 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.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

#7

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, MI

Lake Superior State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree mechanical engineering programs. Lake Superior State University is a small public school located in the remote town of Sault Ste Marie.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lake Superior State University are $13,200 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from Lake Superior State University carry an average student debtload of $29,037.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Lake Superior State University

Northern Illinois University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree mechanical engineering programs. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each 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.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Northern Illinois University

With a ranking of #8, Grand Valley State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. GVSU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Allendale.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at GVSU are $19,628 a year.

Read More…

#10

Baker College

Owosso, MI

With a ranking of #10, Baker College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Owosso, Baker College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Baker College undergraduate students pay an average of $12,420 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Baker College Report

Honorable Mentions

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

Mechanical Engineering is one of 40 different types of programs to choose from.

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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