Best Colleges by Major / Mechanical Engineering
Best Colleges for Mechanical Engineering 2025
20 schools ranked by graduate earnings — real data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Mechanical Engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines, covering design, manufacturing, energy, and robotics. Graduates enjoy strong salaries and employment in virtually every industry.
Earnings shown are median graduate earnings 4 years after graduation (or 1 year if 4-year data is unavailable), sourced from the College Scorecard.See full major data
Top 20 Mechanical Engineering Programs by Graduate Earnings
| # | School | Earnings | Tuition | Accept Rate | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke University Durham, NC | $101,532 | $65,805 | 7% | 6,417 |
| 2 | California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo, CA | $101,325 | $19,552 | 99% | 761 |
| 3 | SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY | $99,578 | $18,450 | 79% | 1,242 |
| 4 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA | $99,067 | $59,241 | 44% | 6,235 |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | $98,644 | $60,156 | 5% | 4,571 |
| 6 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | $98,455 | $45,627 | 12% | 33,073 |
| 7 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | $97,701 | $44,524 | 9% | 33,040 |
| 8 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | $97,466 | $30,995 | 30% | 21,521 |
| 9 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | $97,151 | $63,829 | 11% | 7,187 |
| 10 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | $97,093 | $66,014 | 8% | 15,935 |
| 11 | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Needham, MA | $96,456 | $64,458 | 22% | 373 |
| 12 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | $94,289 | $46,042 | 25% | 33,787 |
| 13 | Wayne State University Detroit, MI | $94,043 | $30,419 | 82% | 15,676 |
| 14 | Lamar University Beaumont, TX | $93,563 | $18,482 | 86% | 7,945 |
| 15 | University of Miami Coral Gables, FL | $93,219 | $59,926 | 19% | 12,570 |
| 16 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | $93,001 | $68,237 | 10% | 20,817 |
| 17 | New York Institute of Technology Old Westbury, NY | $92,781 | $44,360 | 78% | 3,320 |
| 18 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA | $92,171 | $28,631 | 74% | 29,207 |
| 19 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL | $92,129 | $65,997 | 7% | 8,960 |
| 20 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | $92,067 | $42,778 | 29% | 42,100 |
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California State University Maritime Academy
Vallejo, CA
Earnings: $101,325Tuition: $19,552Accept: 99%
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California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA
Earnings: $97,466Tuition: $30,995Accept: 30%
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Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Baton Rouge, LA
Earnings: $92,171Tuition: $28,631Accept: 74%
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Explore All Mechanical Engineering Programs
See earnings data for all 320 schools offering Mechanical Engineering, including debt figures and graduate counts.
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