2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 55 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which 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 Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Wisconsin - Stout the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for mechanical engineering students. Located in the town of Menomonie, UW - Stout is a public school with a medium-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 $27,123 in student loans while working on their degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Stout is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Akron Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Akron Main Campus is a large public school located in the city of Akron.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 a year. ME majors at University of Akron Main Campus take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $228, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 55 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Michigan University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Michigan are $13,094 per year. After completing their degree, ME graduates from Central Michigan carry an average student debtload of $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $274.
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Out of the 55 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the # 4 spot on the list. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Platteville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Platteville are $16,483 a year. After completing their degree, ME graduates from UW - Platteville carry an average student debtload of $26,319. 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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Platteville Report
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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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region 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. ME majors at Youngstown State University take out an average of $23,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. ME majors at SIUE take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $231.
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With a ranking of #7, Lake Superior State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students. Lake Superior State University is a small public school located in the town of Sault Ste Marie.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lake Superior State University are $13,200 a year.
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Northern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. The average amount in student loans that ME majors at NIU take out is $26,871. 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 came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. 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. On average, ME graduates from GVSU take out $28,407 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Grand Valley State University Report
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Baker College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the 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. After completing their degree, ME graduates from Baker College carry an average student debtload of $25,970.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Baker College Report
Request InformationBest Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State
Explore the best mechanical engineering colleges 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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