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Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

14 Colleges
$11,594 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$45,592 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering Technology Associate Degree School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, mechanical engineering technology was ranked #25 in the country. In fact 6,205 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2021-2022.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for trade school students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 14 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for me tech students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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 Southeast Region

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

Nunez Community College

Chalmette, LA

Our 2023 rankings named Nunez Community College the best value school in the Southeast Region for mechanical engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Nunez Community College is a small public school located in the suburb of Chalmette.

Nunez Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,255 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering Technology at Nunez Community College

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Florence-Darlington Technical College is a great value for mechanical engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Located in the small suburb of Florence, Florence-Darlington Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Florence-Darlington Technical College are $6,772 a year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering Technology at Florence-Darlington Technical College

Out of the 14 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Greenville Technical College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Greenville, GTC is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GTC are $10,202 per year.

GTC 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 in the Southeast Region list.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering Technology at Greenville Technical College

#4

Piedmont Technical College

Greenwood, SC

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Piedmont Technical College is a great value for mechanical engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Located in the distant town of Greenwood, Piedmont Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Piedmont Technical College are $6,593 per year.

Read More…

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Eastern Florida State College is a great value for mechanical engineering technology students working on their associate degree. EFSC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Melbourne.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EFSC are $10,976 per year.

Full Mechanical Engineering Technology at Eastern Florida State College Report

#6

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA

With a ranking of #6, ECPI University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering technology students working on their associate degree. ECPI University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large city of Virginia Beach.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ECPI University are $18,484 a year. The average amount in student loans that me tech majors at ECPI University take out while working on their Associate Degree is $21,505.

In addition to its great value ranking, ECPI University is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list.

Full Mechanical Engineering Technology at ECPI University Report

American Public University System 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. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the town of Charles Town.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at American Military University are $7,360 a year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering Technology at American Public University System

#8

Midlands Technical College

West Columbia, SC

Midlands Technical College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree mechanical engineering technology programs. Located in the suburb of West Columbia, MTC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MTC are $13,812 a year.

Read More…

Tidewater Community 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 #9 on the list. Located in the city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Tidewater Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $11,564 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

Seminole State College of Florida ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small city of Sanford, Seminole State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Seminole State undergraduate students pay an average of $11,456 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

Best Mechanical Engineering Technology Colleges by State

Explore the best mechanical engineering technology schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 67
South Carolina 46
Arkansas 36
North Carolina 406
Florida 297
West Virginia 122
Louisiana 80
Virginia 214
Alabama 70
Tennessee 26
Mississippi 0

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 14 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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