Best Mechanical Engineering Schools Near Rock Hill, SC (2026)

Updated September 7, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Rock Hill, South Carolina has 3 accredited schools offering mechanical engineering programs. Rock Hill has a population of about 74,769. Median household income is $64,770 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area, the top-earning mechanical engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $169,960 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Mechanical Engineering Schools to Rock Hill

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mechanical engineering programs near Rock Hill, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Rock Hill city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Rock Hill. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC 65.3 miles from Rock Hill
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,177
Avg net price $22,811/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 165

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Francis Marion University

Florence, SC 93.8 miles from Rock Hill
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,888
Avg net price $11,386/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of South Carolina Aiken

Aiken, SC 103.6 miles from Rock Hill
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,603
Avg net price $11,641/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Clemson University

Clemson, SC 104.2 miles from Rock Hill
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,513
Avg net price $22,253/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 136

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston, SC 160.3 miles from Rock Hill
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,085
Avg net price $20,723/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all South Carolina schools on the South Carolina mechanical engineering page.

Mechanical Engineering Wages Near Rock Hill

Rock Hill is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (BLS area code 16740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Mechanical Engineers $101,950 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $104,779
Architectural and Engineering Managers $169,960 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $174,676
Industrial Engineers $102,090 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $104,923
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians $63,770 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $65,540
Mechanical Drafters $62,890 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $64,635
Engineers, All Other $118,230 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $121,511
Aerospace Engineers $132,830 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $136,516
Cost Estimators $77,990 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $80,154

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Rock Hill at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 74,769 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $64,770 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 34.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 97.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Rock Hill-Area Cities With Mechanical Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mechanical engineering schools are near Rock Hill, SC?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering mechanical engineering programs near Rock Hill. The closest is University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, NC (30.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Francis Marion University (93.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying mechanical engineering roles near Rock Hill?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mechanical engineering-related roles near Rock Hill are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($169,960), Aerospace Engineers ($132,830), Engineers, All Other ($118,230). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Lancaster instead of Rock Hill?

Lancaster, SC is 20.5 miles from Rock Hill and has its own set of local mechanical engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Rock Hill an affordable place to study mechanical engineering?

Rock Hill’s median household income of $64,770 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rock Hill while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Carolina public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Mechanical Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Rock Hill

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Rock Hill:

Data verified: September 7, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in South Carolina (2026)