Top 30 American Universities for Mechanical Engineering
See below for detailed description of each university
| Ranking | University | Region | Annual Tuition | GPA | SAT/ACT |
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | NE | $45,016 | 4.13 | SAT: 1520 |
| 2 | Stanford University | W | $45,729 | 4.18 | SAT: 1520 |
| 3 | University of California – Berkeley | W | $40,167 | 3.86 | SAT: 1440 |
| 4 | University of Michigan | MW | $45,410 | 3.82 | SAT: 1430 |
| 5 | Georgia Institute of Technology | SE | $30,904 | 3.95 | SAT: 1430 |
| 6 | Harvard University | NE | $ 59,550 | 4.04 | SAT: 1540 |
| 7 | California Institute of Technology | W | $45,846 | 4.23 | SAT: 1560 |
| 8 | Purdue University | MW | $28,804 | 3.7 | SAT: 1270 |
| 9 | University of Illinois – Urbana | MW | $46,668 | 3.83 | SAT: 1390 |
| 10 | University of California – Los Angeles | W | $40,182 | 4.29 | SAT: 1370 |
| 11 | Northwestern University | MW | $50,424 | 4.07 | SAT: 1500 |
| 12 | Cornell University | NE | $50,953 | 4.01 | SAT: 1480 |
| 13 | Princeton University | NE | $41,820 | 3.9 | SAT: 1540 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania State University | NE | $31,346 | 3.57 | SAT: 1260 |
| 15 | Texas A&M University | SW | $47,386 | 3.55 | SAT: 1240 |
| 16 | Virginia Tech | SE | $29,975 | 3.66 | SAT: 1290 |
| 17 | Brown University | NE | $48,272 | 4.05 | SAT: 1490 |
| 18 | Carnegie Mellon | NE | $51,196 | 3.72 | SAT: 1470 |
| 19 | Columbia University | NE | $51,008 | 4.13 | SAT: 1520 |
| 20 | Duke University | SE | $51,510 | 4.17 | SAT: 1540 |
| 21 | Johns Hopkins University | NE | $48,710 | 3.74 | SAT: 1470 |
| 22 | Michigan State University | MW | $45,410 | 3.82 | SAT: 1430 |
| 23 | North Carolina State University | SE | $40,558 | 4.42 | SAT: 1300 |
| 24 | Ohio State University | NE | $29,229 | 3.7 | SAT: 1320 |
| 25 | University of Minnesota – Twin Cities | MW | $23,806 | 3.77 | SAT: 1360 |
| 26 | University of Pennsylvania | NE | $47,668 | 3.9 | SAT: 1500 |
| 27 | University of Texas – Austin | SW | $52,422 | 3.71 | SAT: 1330 |
| 28 | University of Wisconsin – Madison | MW | $47,544 | 3.81 | SAT: 1350 |
| 29 | Yale University | NE | $45,800 | 4.19 | SAT: 1540 |
| 30 | Arizona University | W | $36,017 | 3.4 | SAT: 1170 |
1.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT is a private research university located in historic Cambridge, Massachusetts, across the Charles River from Boston, MA. Since its founding in 1861 the school has become one of the most selective universities in the country, accepting just 8% of all applicants.
Today the school is most well-known for its top-ranked engineering and computer science programs. 33% of the university’s students are international, and they come from over 150 different countries. Some famous alumni of the university include Buzz Aldrin, Kofi Annan, Ben Bernanke and Richard Feynman.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $45,016 | $13,730 | $58,746 |
| Out-of-state | $45,016 | $13,730 | $58,746 |
2.) Stanford University
Located just south of San Francisco in Silicon Valley; Stanford has a reputation of one of the top tech schools in the US. Alumni of Stanford have gone on to start tech companies such as Google, Snapchat, and Netflix.
The university has over 15,000 students, 20% of whom are international and is one of the most selective universities in the United States, with an admission rate of just 5%. The university has a student-faculty ratio of 3:1 and over 70% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. Some of the most popular majors at Stanford include engineering, computer science, and mathematics.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $45,729 | $13,730 | $59,459 |
| Out-of-state | $45,729 | $13,730 | $59,459 |
3.) University of California – Berkeley
Founded in 1868 as the flagship campus of the University of California, UC Berkeley is one of most prestigious public universities in the country. The university is located in Berkeley, California, overlooking the San Francisco Bay. The university’s proximity to the tech hub of Silicon Valley has allowed it to become one of the premier universities for computer science and engineering studies.
Today the university has an undergraduate enrollment of 28,000 and offers a student-faculty ratio of 17:1. 60% of the courses at Berkeley have fewer than twenty students, and the university has over 1,000 student organizations for the students to participate in outside of the classroom.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $13,509 | $16,042 | $29,551 |
| Out-of-state | $40,176 | $16,042 | $56,218 |
4.) University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
The University of Michigan is a public university that was founded in 1817. It is has developed a strong reputation for its strong business and engineering schools, as well as for its athletic programs that provide on campus entertainment options for students.
Located 35 miles west of Detroit, Ann Arbor allows students to enjoy all of the benefits of the large city while still being able to live in a quieter town. The university has a student-faculty ratio of 15:1, and 57% of its classes have fewer than 20 students. The university spends more than $1 billion a year on a research, allowing students from all programs to collaborate on these initiatives.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $13,856 | $10,554 | $24,410 |
| Out-of-state | $43,476 | $10,554 | $44,132 |
5.) Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute is a public university located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school’s location in downtown Atlanta allows students to enjoy a wide range of cultural and academic activities in the city. The school stresses the importance of a global education, and maintains campuses in France, Ireland, Costa Rica, Singapore, and China.
The university offers a wide variety of top-ranked programs, including nationally ranked programs for business and engineering. The student-faculty ratio is 19:1, and 40% of the classes have fewer than 20 students.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $12,212 | $13,640 | $25,852 |
| Out-of-state | $32,404 | $13,640 | $46,040 |
6.) Harvard University
Founded in 1636 Harvard University is America’s oldest and most prestigious university. In its long history the University has produced 8 American presidents, 47 Noble Laureates, and over 40 Pulitzer Prize winners.
The University is located in historic Cambridge, Massachusetts, separated from Boston by the Charles River, and just a few miles from MIT. Today 20,000 students attend the university, and one fourth of them come from abroad. The school stresses the importance of small class sizes, with half of all classes having fewer than 10 students. Although tuition at Harvard is high, its large endowment allows the university to provide financial aid to 70% of its students.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $ 59,550 | $22,262 | $81,812 |
| Out-of-state | $ 59,550 | $22,262 | $81,812 |
7.) California Institute of Technology
Despite enrolling only 2,300 students, CalTech has developed an international reputation as one of the best colleges for studying science and engineering. Located in sunny Pasadena, California, the university has produced 34 Noble winners, 6 Turing Award winners, and a long list of other national awards. Caltech is also ranked number one in the US for the percentage of its graduates that go on to earn a PhD.
The student-faculty ratio at CalTech is 3:1, which is one of the lowest in the country. Over 60% of the classes at CalTech have fewer than twenty students, and the most popular majors include engineering, mathematics, and computer science.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $45,846 | $11,172 | $57,018 |
| Out-of-state | $45,846 | $11,172 | $57,018 |
8.) Purdue University
Purdue University is a public university in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school was founded in 1869 after donations from a local businessman, and today the university offers over 200 majors and enrolls 29,000 undergraduate students. The university is ranked as the 20th best public university in the US and is the 4th most popular destination for foreign students studying in the US.
Purdue offers students a wide range of campus activities ranging from music performance groups to the school’s popular sports program. The school is ranked top-10 in the nation for its mechanical, civil, and aerospace engineering programs, and is also ranked 9th on the list for most innovative. The school’s student-faculty ratio is 12:1, which is one of the lowest ratios for all public universities in the country.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $10,002 | $10,030 | $20,032 |
| Out-of-state | $28,804 | $10,030 | $38,834 |
9.) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public university and flagship school of the Illinois system. The school has an urban campus spread across the cities of Urbana and Champaign. Today it has more than 30,000 undergraduate students and is ranked as one of the top 50 universities in the world.
The university offers more than 150 undergraduate programs but its most successful program is engineering, where it is ranked in the top 5 globally. The school has a student-faculty ratio of 18:1 and 40% of its classes have fewer than twenty students.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $15,698 | $11,308 | $21,338 |
| Out-of-state | $46,668 | $ 11,308 | $57,976 |
10.) University of California – Los Angeles
UCLA is a public university located in Los Angeles, California, just five miles from the Pacific Ocean. The school has an undergraduate enrollment of 30,000 and is considered to be a one of the Public Ivy schools. The university is consistently ranked as one of the top public schools in the country, and has produced 14 Noble prize winners and over 250 Olympic medalists.
The university has a student-faculty ratio of 17:1 and 50% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. The most popular majors at UCLA are psychology, biomedical sciences, and social sciences.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $12,836 | $15,069 | $27,905 |
| Out-of-state | $40,182 | $15,069 | $55,251 |
11.) Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university located on the shores of Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois. The school was founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory and has grown into one of the country’s top schools. Today the school enrolls 21,000 undergraduate students and has the 8th largest university endowment in the United States.
Northwestern University has a very low student-faculty ratio of 7:1, and 77% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. The school has a high freshman retention rate, with 97% of Northwestern students continuing there after their first year.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $50,424 | $15,489 | $65,913 |
| Out-of-state | $50,424 | $15,489 | $65,913 |
12.) Cornell University
Cornell University is a private Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York. The school offers over 100 different majors and has 14,000 undergraduate students. Today the diverse student body includes students from over 120 countries and all 50 American states.
Cornell has top ranked programs in several fields of study, and both their engineering and business programs are in the top 10 nationally. The school has a student-faculty ratio of 9:1, and 55% of its classes have fewer than twenty students.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $50,953 | $13,950 | $64,903 |
| Out-of-state | $50,953 | $13,950 | $64,903 |
13.) Princeton University
Princeton University is a private Ivy League university in Princeton, New Jersey. The school was founded in 1746 and is the fourth oldest university in the United States. Today the university has 5,300 undergraduate students and is consistently ranked in the top 3 for overall US rankings.
Princeton University has a student-faculty ratio of 5:1, and the university is ranked #1 nationally for best undergraduate teaching, thanks to its highly qualified staff and small class is sizes. The university has a long list of well-known alumni, including former president Woodrow Wilson, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and mathematician Alan Turing.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $41,820 | $14,770 | $56,590 |
| Out-of-state | $41,820 | $14,770 | $56,590 |
14.) Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University, or Penn State, is a public research university located in University Park, Pennsylvania. The school was founded in 1855 and has an undergraduate enrollment of 46,000. The university has a very active campus, with over 950 clubs and organizations ad opportunities for skiing and hiking in the nearby mountains.
The university has top ranked programs in education and engineering, and is ranked 14th in the country for top public universities. The student-faculty ratio is 16:1, and 40% of classes have fewer than twenty students.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $17,900 | $11,860 | $29,760 |
| Out-of-state | $31,346 | $11,860 | $43,206 |
15.) Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a public research university located in College Station, Texas. The school consistently ranks among the top public universities in the country, and with 50,000 undergraduate students it is the 4th largest school in the country.
The school has nationally ranked programs in engineering and business, and has one of the largest research endowments in the country. The student-faculty ratio is 20:1 and 20% of all classes have fewer than twenty students.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $10,176 | $10,338 | $20,514 |
| Out-of-state | $28,768 | $10,338 | $39,106 |
16.) Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech is a public research university located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The university offers over 115 degree programs and has 25,000 undergraduate students. The school has several top ranked undergraduate programs, including engineering, business, and agricultural studies. The school also is also ranked in the top 10 for happiest students and for quality of life for students.
The school has a student-faculty ratio of 14:1, and 27% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. The school has over 600 clubs and organizations, and its sport teams compete in Division 1 ACC.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $29,975 | $8,424 | $38,399 |
| Out-of-state | $29,975 | $8,424 | $38,399 |
17.) Brown University
Brown University is a private Ivy League university in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded in 1764, and is the 7th oldest university in the United States. The university has a long history of excellence, and has produced eight Noble Prize laureates along with Rhodes Scholars, Pulitzer Prize winners, and several US Secretaries of State.
Brown University is ranked fourth in the country for best undergraduate teaching and has a student-faculty ratio of 7:1. 70% of the classes at brown have fewer than twenty students, and the school has a freshman retention rate of 98%.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $48,272 | $13,200 | $61,472 |
| Out-of-state | $48,272 | $13,200 | $61,472 |
18.) Carnegie Mellon
Carnegie Mellon University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1900, and has grown into one of the top universities in the country. Today the university has an undergraduate enrollment of 6,300 and has top ranked programs in computer science, engineering, and drama.
The university has a student-faculty ratio of 13:1 and 65% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. The most popular majors at Carnegie Mellon are engineering, business, and computer science.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $51,196 | $13,270 | $64,466 |
| Out-of-state | $51,196 | $13,270 | $64,466 |
19.) Columbia University
Located in New York City Columbia University is the 5th oldest school in the United States. Columbia is the leading school in New York City, and its location there allows the students the unique opportunities of working on Wall Street, Broadway, and with the UN.
The university has an admissions rate of just 6% and an endowment of over nine billion dollars. Undergraduate classes at Columbia typically allow fewer than 20 students enroll, and upper level courses usually allow fewer than 10.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $51,008 | $7,928 | $58,936 |
| Out-of-state | $51,008 | $7,928 | $58,936 |
20.) Duke University
Duke University a private university located in suburban North Carolina. The university has a wide variety of programs including very successful business and engineering schools. The university currently has 6,000 undergraduate students, along with another 6,000 graduate students.
Duke is ranked 8th in the national overall and is tied for 14th nationally for its undergraduate teaching. Duke believes in small class sizes and maintains a student-faculty ratio of 6:1, one of the lowest undergraduate ratios in the country.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $51,510 | $15,116 | $56,626 |
| Out-of-state | $51,510 | $15,116 | $56,626 |
21.) Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University is a private university with campuses in Baltimore, Maryland and Washington DC. The school was founded in 1876 and has grown into one of the United State’s top universities for studying medicine, education, and engineering.
Today the university has an undergraduate enrollment of 6,500, and is ranked in the top 10 for national universities overall. The student-faculty ratio is 8:1 and 70% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. The most popular majors include public health, biomedical engineering, and international affairs.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $48,710 | $ 14,976 | $63,686 |
| Out-of-state | $48,710 | $14,976 | $63,686 |
22.) Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public university located in East Lansing, Michigan, a few miles east of Michigan’s state capital. Today the school has an undergraduate enrollment of 40,000 students and is the 9th largest university in the United States.
MSU students have the options of participating in over 600 different student clubs or to study abroad with one of the school’s 260 different study abroad programs. The school has top ranked programs in business, education, and engineering, and has a student-faculty ratio of 17:1.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $14,070 | $9,734 | $24,710 |
| Out-of-state | $45,410 | $9,734 | $55,144 |
23.) North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University is a public university located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school is near Duke University and the University of North Carolina, and the three schools work closely with each other on research projects.
NC State has an undergraduate enrollment of 25,000 students, and offers over 100 majors and 400 student clubs. The school has highly ranked programs for engineering and education, and has a student-faculty ratio of 14:1.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $8,880 | $10,635 | $20,369 |
| Out-of-state | $26,399 | $10,635 | $37,034 |
24.) Ohio State University
Ohio State is a public university located in Columbus, Ohio. The university has 45,000 undergraduate students and an extensive student life program, with over 1,000 student organizations and a popular athletic program. In addition to on campus activities, students at Ohio State benefit from living in the city of Columbus, which is the 15th largest city in the US and is home to a variety of entertainment and professional opportunities.
Ohio State has a student-faculty ratio of 19:1 and 30% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. The school is ranked in the top twenty national for top public universities, business, and for biological engineering.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $10,037 | $11,666 | $21,703 |
| Out-of-state | $29,229 | $11,666 | $40,895 |
25.) University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
The University of Minnesota at Twin Cities is a public university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The school is the flagship school of the Minnesota system, and is the largest school in the state, with over 28,000 undergraduate students.
The university is considered to be one of the top public schools in the country, with top-ranked programs in engineering, economics, and psychology. In addition to academics they have a strong athletics program and regularly win national championships in football and hockey. The school has a student faculty ratio of 17:1 and 35% of its classes have fewer than twenty students.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $13,790 | $9,314 | $23,104 |
| Out-of-state | $23,806 | $9,314 | $33,120 |
26.) University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania, or U Penn, is a private Ivy League university located in Philadelphia. The school was founded in 1757 by Benjamin Franklin, making it the 6th oldest universities in the United States. The University is located on a large urban campus, separated from downtown Philadelphia but still close enough to allow easy access to the city’s amenities.
U Penn has a student-faculty ratio of 6:1 and 70% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. The university’s business school is the oldest business school in the US, and its alumni include business titans such as Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $47,668 | $13,990 | $61,658 |
| Out-of-state | $47,668 | $13,990 | $61,658 |
27.) University of Texas – Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a public school in Austin, Texas. The university is the largest school in Texas and the 7th largest in the country, with over 50,000 students enrolled. The university has over 900 student clubs and two of the largest student publications in the country. In addition to on campus activities students are also able to enjoy cultural and academic opportunities in the surrounding city of Austin.
Austin is divided into 18 different schools, including its highly ranked business, education, and engineering schools. The student-faculty ratio at Austin is 18:1, and 25% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. Alumni of Austin include 15 former US congressman, two former first ladies, and the founder of Dell computers.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $9,806 | $ 11,456 | $20,770 |
| Out-of-state | $34,676 | $11,456 | $46,132 |
28.) University of Wisconsin – Madison
University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public university in Madison, Wisconsin. The university was founded in 1848 and has an undergraduate enrollment of 30,000 students. Today the university offers over 125 undergraduate majors, 25 collegiate sports, and 800 student organizations.
Wisconsin is consistently rated in the top-10 for public schools in the country, and has exceptional undergraduate programs for business and engineering. The university has a student-faculty ratio of 17:1 and 45% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. Some of the most popular majors include economics, biology, and political science.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $10,488 | $8,804 | $19,292 |
| Out-of-state | $32,738 | $8,804 | $42,542 |
29.) Yale University
Located in Connecticut, Yale University has a prestigious history that stretches back over 300 years. The university is dominant in a wide variety of subjects, and has an alumni network that spreads around the world, including three of the last four US presidents.
The university offers small class sizes and lots of individual attention. 75% of courses enroll fewer than twenty students, and 30% of them enroll fewer than ten.
| Tuition | Housing | Total | |
| In-state | $45,800 | $18,170 | $63,970 |
| Out-of-state | $45,800 | $18,170 | $63,970 |
30.) Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public university based in Phoenix, Arizona, with four other campuses across the state. The university has an undergraduate enrollment of 67,000 and is the largest university in the country. The university has received praise for its research and is ranked number one on the list of most innovative universities.
Arizona State offers over 300 undergraduate programs as well as 500 student clubs and more than 250 study abroad options. The school has a student-faculty ratio of 23:1 and 40% of its classes have fewer than twenty students. The most popular programs included business, social sciences, and its top-ranked engineering program.