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Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Colleges
$27,777 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$64,776 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,183 degrees and certificates were awarded to mechanical engineering students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #31 most popular major in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 8 schools in Illinois 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality for a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering

Our analysis found University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to be the best value school for mechanical engineering students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $17,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $500.

UIUC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a great value for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. 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 in-state 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.

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Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UIC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,603 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, ME majors at UIC accumulate an average of around $21,638 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $207, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report

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#6

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Bradley University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for mechanical engineering students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Peoria.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bradley are $36,360 per year.

Bradley excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Bradley University Report

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#7

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

Northwestern undergraduate students pay an average of $60,768 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Northwestern also made our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #2.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University Report

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Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Illinois Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $50,375 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from Illinois Tech carry an average student debtload of $24,824.

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Best Value Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 2,498
Ohio 2,106
Indiana 1,336
Wisconsin 855

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

Majors Similar 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 8 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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