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Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region

30 Colleges
$67,644 Avg Salary
$25,449 Avg Student Debt

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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 30 schools in the Plains States 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 Plains States Region .

Our analysis found Iowa State University to be the most popular school for mechanical engineering students who want to pursue a degree in the Plains States Region . Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Ames.

ME majors at Iowa State take out an average of $24,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $338, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

The excellent programs at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public college with a fairly large student population.

ME majors at UMN Twin Cities take out an average of $22,248 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $234.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Missouri University of Science and Technology is a great place for mechanical engineering students. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Rolla.

After completing their degree, ME graduates from Missouri University of Science and Technology carry an average student debt load of $23,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $279.

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#4

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Kansas State University is a great place for mechanical engineering students. K -State is a very large public school located in the small city of Manhattan.

ME majors at K -State take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $322.

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The excellent programs at North Dakota State University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, ME graduates from North Dakota State University carry an average student debt load of $27,000.

Full Mechanical Engineering at North Dakota State University - Main Campus Report

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.

While working on their degree, ME majors at Mizzou accumulate an average of around $23,250 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $473.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Missouri - Columbia Report

Washington University in St Louis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

On average, ME graduates from WUSTL take out $21,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that ME majors at UNL take out is $25,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $259.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Nebraska - Lincoln Report

#9

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

University of Kansas 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 Lawrence, KU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that ME majors at KU take out is $24,288. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $390.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of Kansas Report

#10

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular mechanical engineering programs. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that ME majors at Iowa take out is $25,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $435, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of Iowa

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges by State

Explore the best mechanical engineering colleges 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

Mechanical Engineering is one of 40 different types of programs to choose from.

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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