24 Best Mechanical Engineering schools in North Carolina

Updated: February 29, 2024

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 1.27M citations received by 46.4K academic papers made by 24 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. North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh

For Mechanical Engineering

#38 in the United States

#44 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Average SAT: 1370
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 80%

2. Duke University

Durham

For Mechanical Engineering

#43 in the United States

#50 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 6%
Average SAT: 1530
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $23,694

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill

For Mechanical Engineering

#47 in the United States

#54 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Average SAT: 1440
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 59%

4. Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem

For Mechanical Engineering

#117 in the United States

#138 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Net Price: $26,197
Receiving Aid: 37%
Average Aid: $54,233

5. University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte

For Mechanical Engineering

#123 in the United States

#147 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1180
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 75%

6. East Carolina University

Greenville

For Mechanical Engineering

#198 in the United States

#228 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 92%
Receiving Aid: 80%
Average Aid: $9,020
Enrollment: 27,151

7. North Carolina A&T State University

Greensboro

For Mechanical Engineering

#239 in the United States

#272 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Average SAT: 1050
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 97%

8. University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro

For Mechanical Engineering

#249 in the United States

#284 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 92%
Average SAT: 1195
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 91%

9. Appalachian State University

Boone

For Mechanical Engineering

#305 in the United States

#346 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Average SAT: 1185
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 70%

10. University of North Carolina Wilmington

Wilmington

For Mechanical Engineering

#355 in the United States

#396 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Average SAT: 1295
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 74%

11. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee

For Mechanical Engineering

#452 in the United States

#503 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Average SAT: 1130
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 100%

12. Davidson College

Davidson

For Mechanical Engineering

#477 in the United States

#528 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Average SAT: 1425
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $26,704

13. Elon University

Elon

For Mechanical Engineering

#502 in the United States

#555 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Average SAT: 1265
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $41,527

14. University of North Carolina at Asheville

Asheville

For Mechanical Engineering

#560 in the United States

#613 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Average SAT: 1243
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 94%

15. Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem

For Mechanical Engineering

#596 in the United States

#653 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Average SAT: 940
Average ACT: 17
Receiving Aid: 95%

16. University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Pembroke

For Mechanical Engineering

#608 in the United States

#665 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Receiving Aid: 91%
Average Aid: $6,619
Enrollment: 7,666

17. St. Andrews University

Laurinburg

For Mechanical Engineering

#615 in the United States

#672 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Net Price: $31,864
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $17,026

18. North Carolina Central University

Durham

For Mechanical Engineering

#639 in the United States

#698 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Average SAT: 970
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 96%

19. Queens University of Charlotte

Charlotte

For Mechanical Engineering

#686 in the United States

#747 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Average SAT: 1168
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $29,459

20. Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville

For Mechanical Engineering

#722 in the United States

#785 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Average SAT: 965
Average ACT: 17
Receiving Aid: 91%

21. High Point University

High Point

For Mechanical Engineering

#740 in the United States

#805 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1192
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $40,221

22. Campbell University

Buies Creek

For Mechanical Engineering

#814 in the United States

#881 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Net Price: $24,280
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $33,425

23. University of Mount Olive

Mount Olive

For Mechanical Engineering

#815 in the United States

#882 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Net Price: $17,878
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $16,371

24. Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City

For Mechanical Engineering

#958 in the United States

#1027 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Average SAT: 960
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 97%

Closest to North Carolina states to learn Mechanical Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
South Carolina	14	71
Virginia	28	29
West Virginia	6	110
Georgia	23	7
District of Columbia	8	108
Maryland	21	12
Kentucky	13	58
Tennessee	24	51
Ohio	39	13
Pennsylvania	67	11
Alabama	15	92
New Jersey	19	23
Indiana	21	19
Florida	32	26
Connecticut	18	27
Illinois	40	6
New York	96	9
Mississippi	6	124
Rhode Island	7	64
Massachusetts	48	1
Michigan	23	5
Arkansas	10	137
Vermont	3	149
Missouri	20	52
New Hampshire	8	114
Louisiana	16	63
Wisconsin	21	10
Iowa	10	31
Maine	6	186
Oklahoma	10	90
Kansas	8	109
Minnesota	20	15
Nebraska	7	75
Texas	55	14
South Dakota	6	293
North Dakota	4	192
Colorado	14	45
Puerto Rico	5	285
New Mexico	5	99
Montana	3	185
Utah	7	42
Arizona	5	41
Idaho	4	167
Oregon	14	82
California	80	2
Washington	18	8
Alaska	3	217
Hawaii	4	126