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Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

23 Colleges
$27,647 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. 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.

2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States 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 South Dakota State University the best value school in the Plains States Region for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Brookings.

South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at South Dakota State University

Out of the 23 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Dakota State University are $14,876 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from North Dakota State University carry an average student debtload of $24,950.

Full Mechanical Engineering at North Dakota State University - Main Campus Report

#3

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Dakota. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. UND is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Grand Forks.

UND undergraduate students pay an average of $15,037 in tuition and fees each 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

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is a great value for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. SD Mines is a small public school located in the small 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.

Full Mechanical Engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Report

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Minnesota - Duluth helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value mechanical engineering schools in the Plains States Region . UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Duluth.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UMN Duluth are $19,148 a 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.

Read More…

Dunwoody College of Technology landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree mechanical engineering programs. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Dunwoody College of Technology is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Dunwoody College of Technology undergraduate students pay an average of $23,863 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Dunwoody College of Technology

#7

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

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 fairly large public school located in the 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.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Saint Cloud State University Report

Iowa State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree mechanical engineering programs. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the city of Ames.

Iowa State undergraduate students pay an average of $25,446 in tuition and fees each 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.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University Report

With a ranking of #9, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Mankato.

Minnesota State Mankato undergraduate students pay an average of $18,200 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Minnesota State University - Mankato

University of Nebraska - Lincoln 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 #10 on the list. Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public school with a fairly 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.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UNL also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Nebraska - Lincoln Report

Best 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

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 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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