Best Mechanical Engineering Programs in Florida (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 10 Mechanical Engineering programs in Florida by the median earnings of Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing. University of Florida leads the list with median earnings of $97,113 four years after completing.
Across the 10 schools with a reported completion median, earnings range from $97,113 to $70,314, with a median of $89,602.
The list includes 8 public and 2 private nonprofit institutions. University of Florida posts the lowest average net price at $6,541.
Florida International University ranks 14th on Azimuth's composite ranking among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $97,113 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| University of Florida ranks 1st on this list with median earnings of $97,113 for its Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing, and its average net price of $6,541 is the lowest on the page. | |||||
| 2 | Florida International University · Miami, FL | $93,494 | $9,288 | $7,003 | 54.7% |
| Florida International University posts an admission rate of 55% and holds the strongest Azimuth composite rank on the page, 14th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 3 | Florida Institute of Technology · Melbourne, FL | $92,753 | $35,639 | $29,108 | 57.7% |
| A private nonprofit university in Melbourne, Florida Institute of Technology reports median federal debt of $26,782 among Mechanical Engineering completers who borrowed and an average net price of $29,108 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 4 | University of Central Florida · Orlando, FL | $89,663 | $10,411 | $5,816 | 40.1% |
| With 455 graduates in the earnings cohort, University of Central Florida reports median earnings of $89,663 for its Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | Florida State University · Tallahassee, FL | $89,622 | $11,297 | $5,938 | 24.2% |
| Admitting 24% of applicants, Florida State University reports median federal debt of $23,000 among Mechanical Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 6 | Florida Atlantic University · Boca Raton, FL | $89,583 | $8,752 | $3,022 | 66.1% |
| Florida Atlantic University reports median earnings of $89,583 for its Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing and admits 66% of applicants. | |||||
| 7 | University of South Florida · Tampa, FL | $88,249 | $9,812 | $4,122 | 43.2% |
| University of South Florida ranks 63rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows an average net price of $4,122 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 8 | University of Miami · Coral Gables, FL | $86,156 | $37,244 | $15,978 | 18.9% |
| The most selective school on the list, University of Miami, admits 19% of applicants, and its Mechanical Engineering graduates earned a median of $86,156 four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | University of North Florida · Jacksonville, FL | $85,995 | $10,154 | $6,647 | 53.2% |
| University of North Florida reports median earnings of $85,995 for its Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | Florida Polytechnic University · Lakeland, FL | $70,314 | $11,853 | $8,819 | 57.5% |
| Florida Polytechnic University ranks 10th on this list, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $14,250 in federal loans school-wide. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing the program. It does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost of attendance, or the characteristics of the students who enroll, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The spread from top to bottom is $26,799, with University of Florida reporting $97,113 and Florida International University reporting $93,494, a gap of $3,619 between the first and second spots.
Job market context in Florida
Graduates of Mechanical Engineering programs in Florida enter occupations such as Mechanical Engineers and Cost Estimators. The median annual wage across those occupations is $83,489, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $64,387. State projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 2,590 openings a year, or about 156 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 10.9% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the broader occupational wage figures described here.