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2026 Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools in Illinois

[Manufacturing Engineering](/majors/engineering/manufacturing-engineering/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong manufacturing engineering education at a price that pays off.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for manufacturing engineering students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools in Illinois

2026 Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools in Illinois

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in manufacturing engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Manufacturing Engineering Schools

1

Bradley University
Peoria, IL

$42,160 In-State Tuition & Fees

$27,000 Avg Student Debt

$66,852 Median Earnings (10yr)

Bradley University earned the #1 spot for value among manufacturing engineering schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $42,160 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the manufacturing engineering program here. Early-career manufacturing engineering graduates make about $67,488. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 77%.

2

Northwestern University
Evanston, IL

$68,322 In-State Tuition & Fees

$16,616 Avg Student Debt

$89,363 Median Earnings (10yr)

Northwestern University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in manufacturing engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $68,322 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $16,616 to complete the manufacturing engineering program here. Soon after graduation, manufacturing engineering degree recipients from Northwestern University generally make around $78,551. That is a strong return on a $16,616 median debt. Northwestern University admits about 8% of applicants.

View All Manufacturing Engineering Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.