Best Mechanical Engineering Programs in Louisiana (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 5 Mechanical Engineering programs in Louisiana by median earnings of Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College leads the list with median earnings of $99,975 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the five schools with a published figure, earnings range from $99,975 to $91,187, with a median of $92,457.
All 5 programs on the list are at public institutions. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College ranks 81st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Louisiana Tech University reports the lowest average net price on the page, at $11,864.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College · Baton Rouge, LA | $99,975 | $19,151 | $13,056 | 73.3% |
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $99,975 for its Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | Southern University and A & M College · Baton Rouge, LA | $92,969 | $20,077 | $19,047 | 35.1% |
| Southern University and A & M College admits 35% of applicants and reports median federal debt of $28,437 among Mechanical Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 3 | Louisiana Tech University · Ruston, LA | $92,457 | $11,864 | $7,676 | 86.4% |
| Louisiana Tech University posts an average net price of $11,864 and sits at 428th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 4 | University of New Orleans · New Orleans, LA | $91,435 | $12,384 | $11,532 | 74.3% |
| University of New Orleans reports median earnings of $91,435 for its Mechanical Engineering graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 40 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 5 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette · Lafayette, LA | $91,187 | $13,530 | $11,157 | 87.0% |
| An average net price of $11,157 for families earning under $30,000 coincides with University of Louisiana at Lafayette's 167th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
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 Louisiana appear. The figure covers federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after graduating. It does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between first-ranked Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College and second-ranked Southern University and A & M College is $7,006, and the spread from the top to the bottom of the list is $8,788.
Job market context in Louisiana
Graduates of Mechanical Engineering programs in Louisiana enter occupations such as Mechanical Engineers, Cost Estimators, and related technical roles. The median annual wage across those occupations in the state is $92,617, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $66,907. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 4.5% higher, with about 108 openings a year for every hundred graduates, openings and graduates roughly in balance. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the earnings of graduates four years after completing, a different measure from the occupational wage data reported here.