2026 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools
There are 451 colleges that offer a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Ranked by yearly graduations, here are the most popular below:
Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering School for You
With all the Mechanical Engineering 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 halfway across the country without even leaving your house.
The Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 451 schools in the United States offering Mechanical Engineering programs. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.
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2026 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools.
Top 25 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools
Our 2026 rankings named Purdue University-Main Campus the most popular school in the U.S. for Mechanical Engineering majors. Located in West Lafayette, IN, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 819 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $61,124. Read More…
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus comes in at #2 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is a public school located in Atlanta, GA. This school awarded 782 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $87,556. Read More…
Texas A&M University-College Station landed the #3 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Texas A&M University-College Station is a public school located in College Station, TX. This school awarded 668 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $54,018. Full Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University-College Station Report
Arizona State University Campus Immersion landed the #4 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Arizona State University Campus Immersion is a public school located in Tempe, AZ. This school awarded 508 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,210. Full Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University Campus Immersion Report
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor comes in at #5 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school located in Ann Arbor, MI. During the most recent year for which we have data, 466 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $64,597. Read More…
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus comes in at #6 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is a public school located in University Park, PA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 450 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $54,468. Read More…
University of California-Berkeley landed the #7 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Berkeley, CA, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 447 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $57,445. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of California-Berkeley
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University comes in at #8 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a public school located in Blacksburg, VA. This school awarded 447 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $59,604. Read More…
University of Central Florida landed the #9 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. University of Central Florida is a public school located in Orlando, FL. During the most recent year for which we have data, 428 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $41,960. Read More…
University of Florida comes in at #10 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Located in Gainesville, FL, this is a public institution. This school awarded 418 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $48,898. Read More…
The University of Texas at Austin comes in at #11 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. The University of Texas at Austin is a public school located in Austin, TX. During the most recent year for which we have data, 405 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $51,060. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin
University of Colorado Boulder landed the #12 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Boulder, CO, this is a public institution. This school awarded 405 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $48,932. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign comes in at #13 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Located in Champaign, IL, this is a public institution. This school awarded 398 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $53,513. Read More…
North Carolina State University at Raleigh landed the #14 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public school located in Raleigh, NC. During the most recent year for which we have data, 397 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $50,866. Read More…
Oregon State University comes in at #15 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Oregon State University is a public school located in Corvallis, OR. This school awarded 389 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $47,459. Full Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University Report
Colorado School of Mines landed the #16 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Colorado School of Mines is a public school located in Golden, CO. This school awarded 378 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $76,390. Read More…
Iowa State University comes in at #17 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Located in Ames, IA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 369 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $50,667. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University
Northeastern University landed the #18 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Boston, MA, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 358 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $74,155. Read More…
Texas Tech University comes in at #19 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Located in Lubbock, TX, this is a public institution. This school awarded 348 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $46,893. Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University
Ohio State University-Main Campus landed the #20 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Columbus, OH, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 346 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $49,087. Full Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State University-Main Campus Report
University of Maryland-College Park landed the #21 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. University of Maryland-College Park is a public school located in College Park, MD. This school awarded 345 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $56,509. Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Maryland-College Park Report
University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #22 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Madison, WI, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 345 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $53,379. Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Madison Report
University of California-Los Angeles landed the #23 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. Located in Los Angeles, CA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 322 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $41,763. Read More…
Michigan State University comes in at #24 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Mechanical Engineering majors. Michigan State University is a public school located in East Lansing, MI. This school awarded 314 degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $50,898. Full Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University Report
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo landed the #25 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public school located in San Luis Obispo, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 309 people earned their degree in Mechanical Engineering from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $62,831. Read More…
Rest of the Top Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for this major that just missed the list above.
Mechanical Engineering by Region
View the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| New England |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Great Lakes |
| Plains States |
| Southeast |
| Southwest |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Far Western US |
More Mechanical Engineering Rankings
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools ranking, along with other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Majors Related to Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Mechanical Engineering | 42,939 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering | 26,760 |
| Civil Engineering | 20,005 |
| Computer Engineering | 19,986 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 13,914 |
| General Engineering | 13,411 |
References
*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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