Best value colleges for Mechanical Engineering in South Carolina.2026 Rankings
With 7 Mechanical Engineering programs spread across South Carolina, narrowing your list takes real data. Our algorithm ranks each school on six factors — admission rate, graduation rate, net price, median graduate earnings, student-faculty ratio, and major breadth — so you can compare apples to apples before you apply.
South Carolina offers 6 public and 1 private Mechanical Engineering programs in this ranking. Public universities average $12,977 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — Clemson University — accepts 38% of applicants. Early-career earnings for Mechanical Engineering graduates average $47,666, with a state-wide graduation rate of 57% for ranked programs.
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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 | Clemson UniversityPublic | Great· 41 | 38% | 88% | $19,988 | $73,220 | 16:1 | 69 | 22,778 |
| 2 | Strong· 37 | 61% | 78% | $22,744 | $72,370 | 18:1 | 67 | 28,113 | |
| 3 | Strong· 36 | 98% | 73% | $18,467 | $52,602 | 11:1 | 28 | 2,624 | |
| 4 | Strong· 35 | 82% | 43% | $15,205 | $37,675 | 12:1 | 33 | 2,640 | |
| 5 | Strong· 35 | 80% | 40% | $12,688 | $41,170 | 15:1 | 25 | 2,805 | |
| 6 | Claflin UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 73% | 49% | $25,768 | $30,175 | 13:1 | 45 | 1,727 |
| 7 | Good· 30 | 82% | 29% | $19,611 | $30,829 | 19:1 | 41 | 2,757 |