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2024 Best Engineering Schools

356 Colleges in the United States
192,474 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$68,641 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in engineering is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #7 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 356 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Engineering Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 192,474 degrees in engineering during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Engineering School

Best Engineering Schools Your choice of engineering school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for engineering schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Engineering Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Engineering
Bachelor's Degrees in Engineering
Master's Degrees in Engineering
Doctor's Degrees in Engineering

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Engineering Schools list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Engineering in the United States

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the engineering degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Engineering

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,274 Engineering Degrees Awarded
10.3% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in engineering needs to check out Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means MIT is a great school overall.

There were roughly 1274 engineering students who graduated with this degree at MIT in the most recent data year. Engineering degree recipients from Massachusetts Institute of Technology get an earnings boost of approximately $32,721 above the typical income of engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
327 Engineering Degrees Awarded
10.7% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in engineering has to look into Harvard University. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were roughly 327 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year. Engineering degree recipients from Harvard University receive an earnings boost of approximately $68,661 above the typical earnings of engineering majors.

More information about a degree in engineering from Harvard University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,075 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$97,378 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in engineering needs to take a look at Stanford University. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1075 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering program at Stanford University make $28,738 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from Stanford University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
273 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$67,309 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Dartmouth College if you want to pursue a degree in engineering. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Hanover. This college ranks 1st out of 17 schools for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.

There were about 273 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent data year. After graduating, engineering degree recipients usually make an average of $67,309 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in engineering from Dartmouth College

5
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
646 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$80,199 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were roughly 646 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering program at Duke University make $11,559 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from Duke University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
731 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$80,363 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 731 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Engineering degree recipients from Northwestern University receive an earnings boost of around $11,723 above the typical earnings of engineering majors.

More information about a degree in engineering from Northwestern University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,404 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$77,412 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1404 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Engineering degree recipients from Columbia University in the City of New York receive an earnings boost of about $8,771 over the typical earnings of engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in engineering from Columbia University in the City of New York

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,471 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$85,983 Median Starting Salary

USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1471 engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering degree program at University of Southern California get $17,342 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of Southern California

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
577 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$70,687 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 577 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering degree program at University of Pennsylvania earn $2,046 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of Pennsylvania

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,457 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$88,134 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1457 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent data year. Those engineering students who get their degree from Carnegie Mellon University receive $19,493 more than the standard engineering grad.

More information about a degree in engineering from Carnegie Mellon University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2,451 Engineering Degrees Awarded
19.1% Growth in Graduates

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. This university ranks 4th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 2451 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Those engineering students who get their degree from University of California - Berkeley earn $11,159 more than the typical engineering student.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - Berkeley

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
601 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$76,341 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were about 601 engineering students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available. Engineering degree recipients from Washington University in St Louis receive an earnings boost of approximately $7,700 above the average earnings of engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in engineering from Washington University in St Louis

13
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
365 Engineering Degrees Awarded
2.7% Growth in Graduates

Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were about 365 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year. Those engineering students who get their degree from Rice University receive $5,960 more than the standard engineering grad.

More information about a degree in engineering from Rice University

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3,430 Engineering Degrees Awarded
0.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a very large student population. This school ranks 1st out of 68 schools for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were about 3429.9999999999995 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Georgia Tech in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering major at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus get $9,597 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

15
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
264 Engineering Degrees Awarded
29.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 9 schools for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.

There were about 264 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent data year. Those engineering students who get their degree from Brown University make $6,080 more than the typical engineering grad.

More information about a degree in engineering from Brown University

16
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
394 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$86,877 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 12th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 394 engineering students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering major at Santa Clara University make $18,236 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in engineering from Santa Clara University

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2,557 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$80,347 Median Starting Salary

U-M is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. This university ranks 1st out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were about 2557 engineering students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Engineering degree recipients from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor receive an earnings boost of about $11,707 above the typical earnings of engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,405 Engineering Degrees Awarded
2.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 1405 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering program at University of California - Los Angeles make $18,030 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - Los Angeles

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,363 Engineering Degrees Awarded
3.4% Growth in Graduates

Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore. This university ranks 1st out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were approximately 1363 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent year we have data available. Those engineering students who get their degree from Johns Hopkins University receive $8,311 more than the typical engineering graduate.

More information about a degree in engineering from Johns Hopkins University

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,408 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$80,091 Median Starting Salary

Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca. This university ranks 3rd out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 1408 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year. Those engineering students who get their degree from Cornell University receive $11,450 more than the standard engineering student.

More information about a degree in engineering from Cornell University

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
478 Engineering Degrees Awarded
30.8% Growth in Graduates

Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Princeton. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.

There were about 478 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering major at Princeton University make $14,274 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in engineering from Princeton University

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,879 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$81,344 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 1879 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering degree program at The University of Texas at Austin make $12,703 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in engineering from The University of Texas at Austin

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,571 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$71,665 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were approximately 1571 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering major at University of Wisconsin - Madison get $3,024 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of Wisconsin - Madison

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
560 Engineering Degrees Awarded
12.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were roughly 560 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Those engineering students who get their degree from University of Notre Dame receive $6,013 more than the standard engineering student.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of Notre Dame

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
341 Engineering Degrees Awarded
13.2% Growth in Graduates

Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. This university ranks 1st out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 341 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. After graduation, engineering degree recipients typically earn about $67,505 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in engineering from Vanderbilt University

Rest of the Top Best Engineering Schools

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27
28
29
30
Harvey Mudd College crest
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA
31
32

33
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

34
35
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
36
37
38
Olin College crest
Olin College
Needham, MA
39
40
41

42

43
44
45
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
46
47
48
49
50

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Engineering Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 356 different United States engineering schools we analyzed.

RankCollegeLocation
51Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA
52University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
53Iowa State UniversityAmes, IA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Engineering Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
54Clemson UniversityClemson, SC
55Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton, MI
56University of Minnesota - Twin CitiesMinneapolis, MN
57Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA
58Boston UniversityBoston, MA
59Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL
60University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, PA
61Missouri University of Science and TechnologyRolla, MO
62Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
63New York UniversityNew York, NY
64New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewark, NJ
65Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA
66University of DaytonDayton, OH
67University of California - Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA
68San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA
69Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
70University of DelawareNewark, DE
71Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, NY

Engineering by Region

View the Best Engineering Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Engineering Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering44,794
Electrical Engineering26,528
Civil Engineering20,655
Computer Engineering16,954
Biomedical Engineering13,222
Chemical Engineering12,248
General Engineering11,534
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering8,671
Industrial Engineering8,087
Systems Engineering3,802

View All Engineering Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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