27 Best Mechanical Engineering schools in North Carolina

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in North Carolina ranked based on their research performance in Mechanical Engineering. A graph of 1.79M citations received by 54.1K academic papers made by 27 universities in North Carolina was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Duke University

Durham

For Mechanical Engineering

#38 in the United States

#44 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 6%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $21,981

2. North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh

For Mechanical Engineering

#41 in the United States

#48 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Average SAT: 1385
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 69%

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill

For Mechanical Engineering

#43 in the United States

#50 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 15%
Average SAT: 1460
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 59%

4. Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem

For Mechanical Engineering

#113 in the United States

#135 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Average SAT: 1465
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $24,401

5. University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte

For Mechanical Engineering

#120 in the United States

#143 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1235
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 75%

6. East Carolina University

Greenville

For Mechanical Engineering

#200 in the United States

#230 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1155
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 77%

7. North Carolina A&T State University

Greensboro

For Mechanical Engineering

#237 in the United States

#270 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1105
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 94%

8. University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro

For Mechanical Engineering

#245 in the United States

#278 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1253
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 92%

9. Appalachian State University

Boone

For Mechanical Engineering

#303 in the United States

#342 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1200
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 69%

10. University of North Carolina Wilmington

Wilmington

For Mechanical Engineering

#355 in the United States

#397 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 64%
Average SAT: 1285
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 73%

11. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee

For Mechanical Engineering

#447 in the United States

#496 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Average SAT: 1175
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 90%

12. Davidson College

Davidson

For Mechanical Engineering

#479 in the United States

#531 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Average SAT: 1465
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $27,720

13. Elon University

Elon

For Mechanical Engineering

#483 in the United States

#535 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 66%
Average SAT: 1205
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $44,440

14. University of North Carolina at Asheville

Asheville

For Mechanical Engineering

#589 in the United States

#647 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 92%
Average SAT: 1265
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 93%

15. University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Pembroke

For Mechanical Engineering

#610 in the United States

#669 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Average SAT: 1085
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 90%

16. St. Andrews University

Laurinburg

For Mechanical Engineering

#627 in the United States

#686 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $29,474
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $21,207

17. Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem

For Mechanical Engineering

#634 in the United States

#693 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Average SAT: 925
Average ACT: 18
Receiving Aid: 97%

18. Queens University of Charlotte

Charlotte

For Mechanical Engineering

#647 in the United States

#708 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 62%
Average SAT: 1240
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $31,839

19. North Carolina Central University

Durham

For Mechanical Engineering

#678 in the United States

#740 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $11,999

20. Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville

For Mechanical Engineering

#690 in the United States

#753 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Average SAT: 990
Average ACT: 17
Receiving Aid: 96%

21. Meredith College

Raleigh

For Mechanical Engineering

#740 in the United States

#804 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Average SAT: 1223
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $24,323

22. High Point University

High Point

For Mechanical Engineering

#755 in the United States

#821 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Average SAT: 1215
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $43,086

23. Methodist University

Fayetteville

For Mechanical Engineering

#801 in the United States

#867 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Average SAT: 1165
Average ACT: 25
Net Price: $26,334

24. Campbell University

Buies Creek

For Mechanical Engineering

#810 in the United States

#876 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Net Price: $25,736
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $36,532

25. Piedmont International University

Winston-Salem

For Mechanical Engineering

#855 in the United States

#922 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Net Price: $20,412
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $11,947

26. Johnson C Smith University

Charlotte

For Mechanical Engineering

#969 in the United States

#1040 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Net Price: $19,705
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $15,238

27. Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City

For Mechanical Engineering

#995 in the United States

#1066 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 64%
Average SAT: 1000
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 93%

Closest to North Carolina states to learn Mechanical Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
South Carolina	16	74
Virginia	29	32
West Virginia	9	105
Georgia	28	8
District of Columbia	8	107
Maryland	22	13
Kentucky	15	59
Tennessee	24	52
Ohio	38	14
Pennsylvania	72	12
Alabama	17	90
New Jersey	20	22
Indiana	24	10
Florida	33	26
Connecticut	18	28
Illinois	45	6
New York	103	9
Mississippi	7	123
Rhode Island	7	65
Massachusetts	48	1
Michigan	24	5
Arkansas	12	135
Vermont	4	150
Missouri	21	51
New Hampshire	8	108
Louisiana	16	61
Wisconsin	23	11
Iowa	10	40
Maine	8	191
Oklahoma	11	93
Kansas	9	101
Minnesota	21	20
Nebraska	7	81
Texas	59	15
South Dakota	6	298
North Dakota	4	190
Colorado	15	46
Puerto Rico	7	283
New Mexico	6	100
Montana	3	188
Utah	7	44
Arizona	6	42
Idaho	4	163
Oregon	15	84
California	87	2
Washington	20	7
Alaska	3	220
Hawaii	4	126