2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States 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. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
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 the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 23 schools in the Plains States Region to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for ME students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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 South Dakota State University to be the best value school for mechanical engineering students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Plains States Region . South Dakota State is a large public school located in the town of Brookings.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Dakota State are $12,809 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
North Dakota State University undergraduate students pay an average of $14,876 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from North Dakota State University carry an average student debtload of $24,950.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of North Dakota. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. UND is a fairly large public school located in the city of Grand Forks.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UND are $15,037 a year. ME majors at UND take out an average of $26,782 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of North Dakota Report
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value mechanical engineering schools in the Plains States Region . SD Mines is a small public school located in the city of Rapid City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SD Mines are $16,530 per year. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $251, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Duluth.
UMN Duluth undergraduate students pay an average of $19,148 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from UMN Duluth carry an average student debtload of $23,980. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $209.
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With a ranking of #6, Dunwoody College of Technology did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Dunwoody College of Technology is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Dunwoody College of Technology undergraduate students pay an average of $23,863 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Dunwoody College of Technology Report
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Saint Cloud State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree mechanical engineering programs. St. Cloud State University is a large public school located in the small city of Saint Cloud.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at St. Cloud State University are $18,010 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, ME majors at St. Cloud State University accumulate an average of around $28,415 in student debt.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Saint Cloud State University
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Iowa State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the small city of Ames.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Iowa State are $25,446 a year. On average, ME graduates from Iowa State take out $23,003 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $338, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Iowa State also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the city of Mankato.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $18,200 per year.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNL are $26,720 a year. ME majors at UNL take out an average of $23,278 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $259.
UNL also claimed a spot on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Nebraska - Lincoln Report
Request InformationBest Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State
Explore the best mechanical engineering colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 725 |
| Minnesota | 582 |
| Kansas | 445 |
| Iowa | 612 |
| Nebraska | 151 |
| North Dakota | 291 |
| South Dakota | 144 |
More Mechanical Engineering Rankings in the Plains States 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 23 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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