<p>Here are the US News rankings for undergraduate engineering programs (general) at PhD-granting institutions:
<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate</a>
(Berkeley is ranked 3rd, Michigan and Cornell tied for 7th.)</p>
<p>Here are the US News rankings for undergraduate mechanical engineering:
<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-mechanical”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-mechanical</a>
(Michigan is 2nd, Berkeley 3rd, Cornell 10th)</p>
<p>These rankings are based on subjective peer assessments. The differences probably are insignificant when weighed against personal preferences (“fit”), or especially when weighed against net costs. If you are not a CA or MI resident, and if you qualify for need-based aid, Cornell probably will have the lowest net cost (perhaps by far). Use each school’s online net price calculator to estimate your own costs. Here is a sample scenario:</p>
<p>Assumptions
$80K family income, $8K paid in federal taxes
married parents, 1 sibling (aged 14), Maryland resident
$20K in cash assets, no real estate
2015 admissions</p>
<p>Net Cost Estimates (after grant aid only) from Net Price Calculators
$39,888 Berkeley
$36,126 Michigan
$14,831 Cornell </p>
<p>YMMV.</p>