2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States 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. 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 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 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 South Dakota State University the best value school in the Plains States Region for mechanical engineering students. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Dakota State are $12,809 per year. While working on their degree, ME majors at South Dakota State accumulate an average of around $26,750 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, South Dakota State also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State University are $14,876 a year. After completing their degree, ME graduates from North Dakota State University carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
In addition to its great value ranking, North Dakota State University is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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The excellent programs at University of North Dakota helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the Plains States Region . UND is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Grand Forks.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UND are $15,037 a year. ME majors at UND take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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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. SD Mines is a small public school located in the small city of Rapid City.
SD Mines undergraduate students pay an average of $16,530 in tuition and fees each year. On average, ME graduates from SD Mines take out $27,825 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $251, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 23 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the # 5 spot on the list. UMN Duluth is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Duluth.
UMN Duluth undergraduate students pay an average of $19,148 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, ME majors at UMN Duluth accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $209.
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With a ranking of #6, Dunwoody College of Technology did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Dunwoody College of Technology is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Dunwoody College of Technology are $23,863 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Dunwoody College of Technology also is in the top 15% of our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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With a ranking of #7, Saint Cloud State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students. St. Cloud State University is a large public school located in the small 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. ME majors at St. Cloud State University take out an average of $28,935 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Iowa State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the city of Ames.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa State are $25,446 per year. On average, ME graduates from Iowa State take out $24,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $338, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Iowa State also claimed a spot on our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the city of Mankato.
Minnesota State Mankato undergraduate students pay an average of $18,200 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, ME majors at Minnesota State Mankato accumulate an average of around $30,125 in student debt.
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNL are $26,720 per year. On average, ME graduates from UNL take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $259.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNL also is in the top 10% of our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
Request InformationBest Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State
Explore the best mechanical engineering schools 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 |
More Mechanical Engineering Rankings in the Plains States 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 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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