<p>Which universities offer the best undergrad courses in mechanical engineering?</p>
<p>Mech E is really not a prestige-oriented profession...there are lots of schools that will work just fine for an undergraduate degree. Look for personal fit. And don’t overlook what your state public offers, as it may offer the most compelling value.</p>
<p>USNWR 2009 Rankings of Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Programs:</p>
<p>Best Colleges Specialty Rankings: Undergraduate engineering specialties: Mechanical</p>
<p>1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
2 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
3 University of California--Berkeley Berkeley, CA
4 Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA
5 Stanford University Stanford, CA
6 University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
7 Purdue University--West Lafayette West Lafayette, IN
8 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
9 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
10 University of Texas--Austin Austin, TX
11 Pennsylvania State University--University Park University Park, PA
12 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
13 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
14 University of Minnesota--Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
14 University of Wisconsin--Madison Madison, WI
16 Princeton University Princeton, NJ
17 University of California--San Diego La Jolla, CA
18 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
19 Texas A&M University--College Station College Station, TX
20 Ohio State University--Columbus Columbus, OH
20 University of California--Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
22 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY </p>
<p>I agree 100% with rogracer's advice.</p>
<p>If your own state U doesn't have a strong mechanical engineering program, consider the University of Minnesota--ranked #14 in this field by US News and a bargain for OOS students at $14,746/yr in tuition and fees, or about $15K to $20K/yr less than the top privates and many other publics for OOS.</p>