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Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools

2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

50 Colleges
$10,024 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$45,592 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering Technology Associate Degree School for You

In 2021-2022, 6,205 people earned a degree or certificate in mechanical engineering technology, making the major the #25 most popular in the United States.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for trade school students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 50 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for me tech students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for me tech majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Mechanical Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools

#1

Lee College

Baytown, TX

Our 2023 rankings named Lee College the best value school in the United States for mechanical engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Lee College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Baytown.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lee College are $4,302 a year.

Lee College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list.

Full Mechanical Engineering Technology at Lee College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Springfield Technical Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools list. STCC is a small public school located in the city of Springfield.

STCC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,728 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, me tech graduates from STCC carry an average student debtload of $6,288.

STCC also claimed a spot on our Best Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Mechanical Engineering Technology at Springfield Technical Community College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, Cincinnati State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cincinnati State are $9,558 a year. On average, me tech graduates from Cincinnati State take out $17,030 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cincinnati State also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering Technology at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

#4

Owens Community College

Perrysburg, OH

Out of the 50 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Owens Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Owens State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Perrysburg.

Owens State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,022 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that me tech majors at Owens State Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $11,943.

Read More…

#5

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ivy Tech Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ivy Tech Community College are $8,927 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Ivy Tech Community College also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

Chippewa Valley Technical College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools list. CVTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CVTC are $6,793 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, CVTC also did well on our Best Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Mechanical Engineering Technology at Chippewa Valley Technical College Report

#7

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD

Southeast Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for mechanical engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Southeast Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Sioux Falls.

Southeast Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $7,650 in tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Southeast Tech is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list.

Full Mechanical Engineering Technology at Southeast Technical College Report

#8

Nunez Community College

Chalmette, LA

Nunez Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree mechanical engineering technology programs. Nunez Community College is a small public school located in the suburb of Chalmette.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Nunez Community College are $4,255 a year.

Full Mechanical Engineering Technology at Nunez Community College Report

Florence-Darlington Technical College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Florence, Florence-Darlington Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Florence-Darlington Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,772 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

Spokane Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Spokane Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Spokane Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,278 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering Technology at Spokane Community College

Mechanical Engineering Technology by Region

View the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

One of 18 majors within the trade school area of study, mechanical engineering technology has other similar majors worth exploring.

ME Tech Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Technology 3,490
Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Technology 1,074
Automotive Engineering Technology 1,062
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies, Other 473
Marine Engineering Technology 106

Related Major Annual Graduates
Industrial Production Technology 11,288
Electromechanical Engineering Technology 10,780
Environmental Control Technology 9,376
Drafting & Design Engineering Technology 8,822
Electronics Engineering Technology 8,347

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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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