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Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

6 Colleges
$14,844 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$63,739 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering School for You

Mechanical Engineering is the #39 most popular major in Virginia with 947 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in Virginia 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Colleges.

Best Virginia Schools for Affordable Quality in Mechanical Engineering

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA
$14,174 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Virginia Tech the best value school in Virginia for mechanical engineering students. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Virginia Tech are $14,174 per year. ME majors at Virginia Tech take out an average of $24,998 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $399.

Virginia Tech not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia list.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech

#2

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA
$10,800 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Old Dominion University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia list. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the city of Norfolk.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Old Dominion are $10,800 per year. On average, ME graduates from Old Dominion take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $129.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Old Dominion University

$19,785 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in Virginia. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Virginia are $19,785 per year. The average amount in student loans that ME majors at University of Virginia take out is $23,567.

University of Virginia also made our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in Virginia list, coming in at #1.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA
$13,119 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means George Mason University is a great value for mechanical engineering students. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GMU are $13,119 a year. While working on their degree, ME majors at GMU accumulate an average of around $22,180 in student debt.

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

Full Mechanical Engineering at George Mason University Report

$15,028 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 6 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the # 5 spot on the list. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Richmond.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at VCU are $15,028 a year. ME majors at VCU take out an average of $24,728 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University

#6

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
$16,160 Average Tuition & Fees

Liberty University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value mechanical engineering programs. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Liberty University are $16,160 per year. After completing their degree, ME graduates from Liberty University carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Liberty University

Best Value Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 1,418
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.

Majors Similar 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 6 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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