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Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region

2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

66 Colleges
$20,728 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$65,486 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering School for You

Mechanical Engineering is the #21 most popular major in the country with 46,178 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 66 schools in the Southeast 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools

$16,806 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Louisiana Tech University the best value school in the Southeast Region for mechanical engineering students. Located in the town of Ruston, Louisiana Tech is a public school with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Louisiana Tech are $16,806 per year. On average, ME graduates from Louisiana Tech take out $26,705 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $191, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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The excellent programs at West Virginia University Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the Southeast Region . West Virginia University Tech is a small public school located in the city of Beckley.

West Virginia University Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $19,296 in tuition and fees each year. On average, ME graduates from West Virginia University Tech take out $26,649 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $448.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, West Virginia University Tech also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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$17,192 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern University and A & M College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Baton Rouge, Southern University and A & M College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southern University and A & M College are $17,192 a year. While working on their degree, ME majors at Southern University and A & M College accumulate an average of around $27,960 in student debt.

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$12,698 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Arkansas State University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the Southeast Region . A-State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Jonesboro.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at A-State are $12,698 a year. After completing their degree, ME graduates from A-State carry an average student debtload of $24,750.

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The excellent programs at Tennessee Technological University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Tennessee Tech University are $19,834 a year. After completing their degree, ME graduates from Tennessee Tech University carry an average student debtload of $19,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $103, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Tennessee Tech University also is in the top 20% of our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.

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#6

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, GA

Georgia Southern University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value mechanical engineering programs. GaSou is a very large public school located in the distant town of Statesboro.

GaSou undergraduate students pay an average of $17,539 in tuition and fees each year. ME majors at GaSou take out an average of $25,125 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $235.

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Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value mechanical engineering programs. Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Atlanta.

Georgia Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $33,964 in tuition and fees each year. ME majors at Georgia Tech take out an average of $26,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $404, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Georgia Tech is ranked #2 for overall quality for ME in the Southeast Region .

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Florida International 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. FIU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Miami.

FIU undergraduate students pay an average of $18,963 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, ME graduates from FIU carry an average student debtload of $19,375.

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#9

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UF undergraduate students pay an average of $28,659 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, ME majors at UF accumulate an average of around $19,250 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $157, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UF also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#10

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, AR
$13,636 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Arkansas Tech University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students. ATU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Russellville.

ATU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,636 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, ME majors at ATU accumulate an average of around $22,577 in student debt.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
11 University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA
12 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
13 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State

Explore the best mechanical engineering colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 1,418
Virginia 947
North Carolina 918
Florida 2,254
Tennessee 603
Kentucky 391
South Carolina 715
Louisiana 453
Arkansas 280
Alabama 1,019
Mississippi 309
West Virginia 217

One of 40 majors within the area of study, mechanical engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

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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