2023 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools
Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering School for You
In 2020-2021, 46,178 people earned a degree or certificate in mechanical engineering, making the major the #21 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 426 schools in the United States to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Mechanical Engineering program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Colleges.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools in Mechanical Engineering
Our analysis found Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus to be the most popular school for mechanical engineering students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Atlanta.
ME majors at Georgia Tech take out an average of $26,500 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $404.
The excellent programs at University of Florida helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the United States. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, ME graduates from UF take out $19,250 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $157.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Florida
Out of the 426 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at Purdue take out is $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $572.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public school located in the midsize city of College Station.
ME majors at Texas A&M College Station take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $240, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University - College Station Report
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Central Florida is a great place for mechanical engineering students. UCF is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Orlando.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at UCF take out is $25,349.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Central Florida Report
Virginia Tech came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.
While working on their degree, ME majors at Virginia Tech accumulate an average of around $24,998 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $399, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a very large student population.
ME majors at U-M take out an average of $19,375 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $434.
Iowa State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, ME graduates from Iowa State take out $24,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $338, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University
Michigan Technological University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #9 on the list. Michigan Tech is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Houghton.
After completing their degree, ME graduates from Michigan Tech carry an average student debt load of $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $271.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Technological University Report
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public college with a fairly large student population.
ME majors at ASU - Tempe take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $252, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe
North Carolina State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, ME majors at NC State accumulate an average of around $23,782 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $318, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Clemson University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. Located in the large suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at Clemson take out is $22,899. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $382.
University of California - San Diego came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at UCSD take out is $20,167.
The University of Alabama landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. Located in the city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, ME graduates from UA take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $439, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Mechanical Engineering at The University of Alabama Report
Northeastern University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.
ME majors at Northeastern take out an average of $25,718 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $460, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Northeastern University Report
With a ranking of #16, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for mechanical engineering students. UMCP is a very large public school located in the large suburb of College Park.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at UMCP take out is $22,008. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $280.
With a ranking of #17, Colorado School of Mines did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for mechanical engineering students. Located in the suburb of Golden, Mines is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, ME majors at Mines accumulate an average of around $26,652 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 $691.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines Report
University of California - Irvine came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, ME majors at UC Irvine accumulate an average of around $16,500 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 $304.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Irvine Report
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, ME majors at UT Austin accumulate an average of around $20,500 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $367.
Full Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin Report
University at Buffalo landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. University at Buffalo is a very large public school located in the suburb of Buffalo.
ME majors at University at Buffalo take out an average of $23,653 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $280.
Oregon State University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools list. Located in the city of Corvallis, Oregon State is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at Oregon State take out is $24,764. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $465.
Full Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University Report
Texas Tech University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. Located in the large city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that ME majors at Texas Tech take out is $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $268.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #23 on the list. UC is a very large public school located in the city of Cincinnati.
While working on their degree, ME majors at UC accumulate an average of around $25,999 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 $231.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. CU - Boulder is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Boulder.
After completing their degree, ME graduates from CU - Boulder carry an average student debt load of $24,606. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $579, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
ME majors at Ohio State take out an average of $21,654 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $287.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Rest of the Top Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 426 different United States mechanical engineering schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 52 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona, CA |
| 53 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 53 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
| 55 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 55 | Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, GA |
| 57 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 57 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 59 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| 59 | Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 59 | Kettering University | Flint, MI |
| 62 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 63 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional popular schools for Mechanical Engineering students that almost earned our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools award.
Mechanical Engineering by Region
View the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Mechanical Engineering Related Majors
One of 40 majors within the area of study, mechanical engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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