Get my odds
Evanston, IL · Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering at Northwestern

Northwestern graduates about 72 mechanical engineering majors a year, 4% of its graduating class. That puts it 24th of 332 schools we score for mechanical engineering, a standout program at 83 out of 100. Its current catalog lists 37 undergraduate courses in the field, more than 42% of the schools we've counted. Graduates in the major earn a median $98,000 four years out, 1.07× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $14 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

83/100Standout#24 of 332 for mechanical engineering →
Graduates a year724% of the class
Courses in the catalog37more than 42% of schools
Median pay 4 years out$98,0001.07× the same major nationally
Research in the field$14Ma year, NSF
Admit rate7%whole school
SAT middle 50%1490–1570whole school

Around Northwestern

Near Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL
Entrance to Northwestern University Technological Institute (51725404073)Photo: Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0 · source
A photo of the interior of Dearborn Observatory. The dome is open, the red light
Dearborn Telescope with open domePhoto: Jackricono · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
The Shakespeare Garden in Evanston (1915). It was established by the Garden Club
Shakespeare Garden (8105928197)Photo: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Aggelos Katsaggelos
Aggelos KatsaggelosPhoto: Leandros89 · CC0 · source

Where mechanical engineering happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Northwestern University Technological Institute, Seeley G. Mudd Science and Engineering Library.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 96 · Dorm 44 · Fraternity or sorority house 13 · Arts 8 · Chapel 5 · Athletics 3.

Open the full-screen campus map →

Nearby in the mechanical engineering ranking

  1. University of Rochester 84
  2. Vanderbilt University 84
  3. Virginia Tech 83
  4. University of California, Los Angeles 83
  5. California Institute of Technology 83
  6. Texas A&M University 82
  7. University of Wisconsin–Madison 82
  8. United States Military Academy at West Point 81

Other strong majors at Northwestern

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Northwestern with every school we score in mechanical engineering. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

See your odds at Northwestern Everything about Northwestern