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Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

55 Colleges
$19,860 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$71,318 Avg Salary

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 analysis found University of Wisconsin - Stout to be the best value school for mechanical engineering students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the town of Menomonie, UW - Stout is a public college 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.

UW - Stout 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 - Stout Report

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$11,880 Average Tuition & Fees

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 fairly large public school located in the medium-sized 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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#3

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI
$13,094 Average Tuition & Fees

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 distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public college with a large student population.

Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in tuition and fees each 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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The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - Platteville helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the Great Lakes Region . UW - Platteville is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Platteville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Platteville are $16,483 per 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.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Platteville also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#5

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH
$9,732 Average Tuition & Fees

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 large public school located in the city of Youngstown.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a 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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$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students. Located in the 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. 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.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

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#7

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, MI
$13,200 Average Tuition & Fees

Lake Superior State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Lake Superior State University is a small public school located in the remote town of Sault Ste Marie.

Lake Superior State University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,200 in tuition and fees each year.

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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

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

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NIU are $14,738 a 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.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Northern Illinois University Report

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Grand Valley State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value mechanical engineering programs. GVSU is a very 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.

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#10

Baker College

Owosso, MI
$12,420 Average Tuition & Fees

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

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Baker College are $12,420 a year. After completing their degree, ME graduates from Baker College carry an average student debtload of $25,970.

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Best 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

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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