Best value colleges for Mechanical Engineering in Pennsylvania.2026 Rankings
Pennsylvania is home to 24 accredited institutions offering Mechanical Engineering programs — from large public research universities to small private liberal arts colleges. This ranking evaluates each school on admission selectivity, four-year graduation rate, net price, and graduate earnings to surface the programs that deliver the strongest outcomes.
Among the schools listed here, University of Pennsylvania is the most selective, admitting 6% of applicants. Average in-state tuition across this group sits at $41,065, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $43,553. Median early-career earnings for Mechanical Engineering graduates in this state average $38,555 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 73%.
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ranked by value score
| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPrivate | Elite· 49 | 11% | 93% | $17,534 | $76,523 | 5:1 | 88 | 7,187 |
| 2 | University of PennsylvaniaPrivate | Elite· 48 | 6% | 97% | $17,585 | $66,876 | 8:1 | 70 | 10,768 |
| 3 | Lafayette CollegePrivate | Excellent· 46 | 31% | 88% | $11,291 | $72,481 | 10:1 | 33 | 2,746 |
| 4 | Villanova UniversityPrivate | Excellent· 46 | 25% | 92% | $25,786 | $80,962 | 10:1 | 55 | 7,005 |
| 5 | Lehigh UniversityPrivate | Excellent· 45 | 29% | 89% | $19,495 | $75,479 | 10:1 | 66 | 5,803 |
| 6 | Bucknell UniversityPrivate | Excellent· 43 | 32% | 86% | $20,932 | $79,391 | 9:1 | 50 | 3,818 |
| 7 | Great· 41 | 50% | 84% | $26,179 | $71,406 | 13:1 | 101 | 20,189 | |
| 8 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | Great· 40 | 78% | 77% | $35,842 | $74,267 | 9:1 | 80 | 13,509 |
| 9 | Saint Francis UniversityPrivate | Great· 40 | 77% | 73% | $12,775 | $48,790 | 14:1 | 55 | 1,525 |
| 10 | Grove City CollegePrivate | Great· 39 | 73% | 80% | $20,890 | $32,157 | 13:1 | 38 | 2,221 |
| 11 | Messiah UniversityPrivate | Great· 39 | 78% | 79% | $22,689 | $45,768 | 12:1 | 63 | 2,318 |
| 12 | University of ScrantonPrivate | Great· 39 | 84% | 81% | $24,999 | $54,132 | 13:1 | 59 | 3,589 |
| 13 | Gannon UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 77% | 70% | $21,199 | $65,796 | 13:1 | 59 | 2,467 |
| 14 | Temple UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 83% | 75% | $28,493 | $66,161 | 12:1 | 100 | 21,249 |
| 15 | Widener UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 84% | 64% | $28,722 | $65,515 | 11:1 | 56 | 2,765 |
| 16 | Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 86% | 68% | $24,652 | $68,709 | 13:1 | 43 | 3,708 |
| 17 | King's CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 93% | 60% | $20,676 | $40,139 | 11:1 | 45 | 1,519 |
| 18 | Good· 31 | 75% | 66% | $18,007 | $42,776 | 20:1 | 48 | 6,728 | |
| 19 | York College of PennsylvaniaPrivate | Good· 30 | 94% | 60% | $18,388 | $74,445 | 13:1 | 57 | 3,187 |
| 20 | Point Park UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 98% | 60% | $23,522 | $30,901 | 12:1 | 49 | 2,320 |
| 21 | Average· 29 | 96% | 53% | $17,645 | $71,406 | 14:1 | 38 | 1,934 | |
| 22 | Wilkes UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 91% | 60% | $26,339 | $63,062 | 13:1 | 41 | 1,893 |
| 23 | Average· 26 | 86% | 52% | $21,912 | $43,565 | 18:1 | 42 | 4,179 | |
| 24 | Fair· 22 | — | 50% | $23,543 | $53,234 | 14:1 | 41 | 4,254 |