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Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region

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2023 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region

78 Colleges
$65,486 Avg Salary
$24,571 Avg Student Debt

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 78 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Mechanical Engineering program at each school on the list.

Check out the ME programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the Southeast Region .

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 Southeast Region . Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Atlanta.

The average amount in student loans that ME majors at Georgia Tech take out is $26,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $404, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

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 Southeast Region . Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, ME graduates from UF carry an average student debt load of $19,250. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $157, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Florida. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region list. UCF is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Orlando.

While working on their degree, ME majors at UCF accumulate an average of around $25,349 in student debt.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Central Florida

#4

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region list. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

On average, ME graduates from Virginia Tech take out $24,998 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 $399.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Carolina State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, ME graduates from NC State take out $23,782 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $318.

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#6

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Clemson University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for mechanical engineering students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, ME majors at Clemson accumulate an average of around $22,899 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $382, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#7

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL

The University of Alabama landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. Located in the small city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, ME graduates from UA carry an average student debt load of $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $439.

Full Mechanical Engineering at The University of Alabama Report

#8

Auburn University

Auburn, AL

Auburn University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. Auburn is a very large public school located in the small city of Auburn.

The average amount in student loans that ME majors at Auburn take out is $25,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $483.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Auburn University Report

University of North Carolina at Charlotte 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. Located in the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public school with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, ME graduates from UNC Charlotte carry an average student debt load of $27,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $279, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of North Carolina at Charlotte Report

University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. Located in the city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, ME graduates from USF Tampa take out $24,513 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of South Florida - Main Campus

#11

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw, GA

Kennesaw State University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. Located in the large suburb of Kennesaw, KSU Georgia is a public college with a very large student population.

ME majors at KSU Georgia take out an average of $28,406 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $266.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Kennesaw State University

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Mechanical Engineering students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
12 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
13 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
14 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
15 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN

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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