Best Mechanical Engineering Programs in Indiana (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 9 Mechanical Engineering programs in Indiana by the median earnings of Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Purdue University-Main Campus leads the list with $102,572 in median earnings of its Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing.
Across the 9 listed schools, earnings range from $102,572 to $85,075, with a median of $90,583.
The list includes 4 public and 5 private nonprofit institutions. Purdue University Northwest posts the lowest average net price on the list at $6,079.
Purdue University-Main Campus ranks 87th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $102,572 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
| Purdue University-Main Campus reports median earnings of $102,572 for its Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside a cohort of 430 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | University of Notre Dame · Notre Dame, IN | $99,859 | $26,780 | $7,244 | 11.3% |
| University of Notre Dame, a private nonprofit university in Notre Dame, admits 11% of applicants and posts median federal debt of $18,910 among Mechanical Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 3 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology · Terre Haute, IN | $95,983 | $42,513 | $36,843 | 76.9% |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ranks 3rd on this list and shows an average net price of $42,513. | |||||
| 4 | Purdue University Northwest · Hammond, IN | $91,229 | $6,079 | $1,432 | 72.4% |
| Purdue University Northwest admits 72% of applicants and reports 48 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 5 | Valparaiso University · Valparaiso, IN | $90,583 | $18,578 | $11,043 | 89.4% |
| Valparaiso University ranks 677th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $90,583 for its Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Indiana University-Indianapolis · Indianapolis, IN | $88,960 | $11,668 | $5,701 | 76.4% |
| Indiana University-Indianapolis reports a cohort of 147 graduates in the earnings cohort and median federal debt of $20,921 among Mechanical Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 7 | Trine University · Angola, IN | $86,997 | $25,355 | $19,661 | 85.5% |
| Trine University posts median earnings of $86,997 for its Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 85%. | |||||
| 8 | University of Evansville · Evansville, IN | $85,851 | $18,499 | $14,451 | 77.6% |
| University of Evansville ranks 8th on this list and shows an average net price of $14,451 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 9 | Purdue University Fort Wayne · Fort Wayne, IN | $85,075 | $13,171 | $8,306 | 83.9% |
| Purdue University Fort Wayne reports median federal debt of $21,500 across all of the school's borrowers who completed and an average net price of $13,171. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in Indiana appear. 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, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between Purdue University-Main Campus and University of Notre Dame is $2,713, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom is $17,497.
Job market context in Indiana
Mechanical Engineering graduates in Indiana enter occupations such as Mechanical Engineers and Cost Estimators. Across those occupations the median annual wage is $89,015, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $72,124. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 6.0% higher, with about 125 openings a year for every hundred graduates and more projected openings than graduates. 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 shown here.