Ames, Iowa · Public
Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University
Read the reported program-share signal, school-wide price, and outcome proxy before comparing peer schools in this field. The enrollment proxy is about 1,213 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
Program snapshot
4.8% reported share makes this a focused program signal in federal data.
This major
- Program signal
- 4.8%
- Enrollment proxy
- ~1,213
- Schools with reported signal
- 402
Admissions
- Acceptance rate (school)
- 88.7%
- Graduation rate
- 75.3%
Cost
- Avg net price (school)
- $18,589/yr
- 4-year cost (est.)
- $74,356
- Median debt
- $22,869
Outcomes
- Median earnings 10y
- $63,386/yr
- ROI grade (school)
- B
College Scorecard reports school-wide earnings and price, not per-major outcomes for individual colleges. Program share is a concentration signal, not a promise of department quality. Use it as a proxy, then verify department-level outcomes with the school.
Value among peer schools
Compared with 402 schools that report this field.
This page treats cost and earnings as school-wide context, not department-level outcomes. The reported share is above the national average concentration; the school-wide net price is lower than the peer average ($823 below), and ten-year median earnings are lower than the peer average ($744 below). That combination produces a B value grade and a top 53% ROI position within this field set.
See the national program hub →Comparable programs
Peer schools below also report a positive program-share signal and are sorted by value grade.
Princeton University Princeton, NJ · 4.6% reported share · $6,128 net A+ CUNY City College New York, NY · 3.8% reported share · $3,776 net A+ California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · 2.3% reported share · $3,967 net A+ Del Mar College Corpus Christi, TX · 0.3% reported share · $3,399 net A+ El Paso Community College El Paso, TX · 1.1% reported share · $3,206 net A+ University of Florida Gainesville, FL · 2.7% reported share · $6,541 net A+ The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX · 2.2% reported share · $4,831 net A+ California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA · 1.3% reported share · $6,555 net A+ Questions about this program
How big is the program signal?
Mechanical Engineering accounts for 4.8% of reported programs at Iowa State University, which is bigger than 82% of schools in this field set and above the national average concentration. The enrollment proxy is about 1,213 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
How should I read the cost number?
Iowa State University's average net price is $18,589 per year, about $74,356 over four years. That is $823 below the $19,412 peer average, before your own aid package changes the final bill.
Are the earnings major-specific?
No. The $63,386 median earnings figure is school-wide ten years after entry. It is $744 below the $64,130 average among schools reporting this field, so treat it as an outcomes proxy rather than a department guarantee.
What should I compare next?
Start with program share, net price after aid, graduation rate, location, and whether the department publishes placement or licensure outcomes. EduGradify ranks Iowa State University #212 of 402 schools in this field set by school-wide ROI proxy.