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2024 Best Engineering Schools

356 Colleges in the United States
198,468 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$68,653 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 198,468 degrees in engineering during the 2020-2021 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
1,143 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$101,362 Median Starting Salary

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

There were about 1143 engineering students who graduated with this degree at MIT in the most recent year we have data available. Engineering degree recipients from Massachusetts Institute of Technology earn a boost of around $32,708 over the average earnings of engineering majors.

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
292 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$137,302 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in engineering needs to look into Harvard University. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were roughly 292 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering program at Harvard University earn $68,649 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in engineering from Harvard University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,121 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$97,378 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in engineering has to check out Stanford University. Stanford is a fairly 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 roughly 1121.0000000000002 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available. Engineering degree recipients from Stanford University receive an earnings boost of approximately $28,725 over the typical earnings of engineering majors.

More information about a degree in engineering from Stanford University

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

It is hard 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 roughly 282 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, engineering degree recipients generally earn around $67,309 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in engineering from Dartmouth College

5
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
689 Engineering Degrees Awarded
2.0% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 689 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering program at Duke University get $11,546 more than the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from Duke University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
813 Engineering Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

Northwestern is a very 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 approximately 813 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering major at Northwestern University earn $11,710 above the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from Northwestern University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,508 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$77,412 Median Starting Salary

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

There were roughly 1508 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering major at Columbia University in the City of New York earn $8,758 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,815 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$85,983 Median Starting Salary

USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the 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 approximately 1815 engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering major at University of Southern California get $17,330 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

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

Located in the large 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 roughly 610 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering major at University of Pennsylvania earn $2,033 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of Pennsylvania

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,592 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$88,134 Median Starting Salary

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

There were about 1592 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering degree program at Carnegie Mellon University earn $19,480 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in engineering from Carnegie Mellon University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,982 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$79,799 Median Starting Salary

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

There were about 1982 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering program at University of California - Berkeley get $11,146 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

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

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

There were roughly 658 engineering students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering major at Washington University in St Louis earn $7,688 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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
355 Engineering Degrees Awarded
11.5% 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 colleges nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were about 355 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering degree program at Rice University make $5,947 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from Rice University

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3,407 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$78,238 Median Starting Salary

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 approximately 3407 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Georgia Tech in the most recent data year. Engineering degree recipients from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of about $9,584 above the typical income of engineering majors.

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
187 Engineering Degrees Awarded
2.7% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 187 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 earn $6,068 more than the standard engineering student.

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
429 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$86,877 Median Starting Salary

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

There were approximately 429 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 get $18,224 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from Santa Clara University

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2,789 Engineering Degrees Awarded
8.0% Growth in Graduates

U-M is a fairly 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 2789 engineering students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Those engineering students who get their degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn $11,694 more than the average engineering grad.

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

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,342 Engineering Degrees Awarded
6.0% Growth in Graduates

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

There were roughly 1342 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Engineering degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles receive an earnings boost of approximately $18,017 over the typical income of engineering majors.

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

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,317 Engineering Degrees Awarded
13.1% Growth in Graduates

Johns Hopkins is a very 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 roughly 1317 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year. Engineering degree recipients from Johns Hopkins University earn a boost of approximately $8,298 above the typical earnings of engineering majors.

More information about a degree in engineering from Johns Hopkins University

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,430 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$80,091 Median Starting Salary

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

There were approximately 1430 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available. Engineering degree recipients from Cornell University receive an earnings boost of about $11,438 over the typical earnings of engineering majors.

More information about a degree in engineering from Cornell University

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
331 Engineering Degrees Awarded
3.3% Growth in Graduates

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

There were approximately 331 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent data year. Those engineering students who get their degree from Princeton University make $14,262 more than the typical engineering student.

More information about a degree in engineering from Princeton University

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,960 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 1960 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering major at The University of Texas at Austin earn $12,691 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,573 Engineering Degrees Awarded
0.4% Growth in Graduates

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

There were approximately 1573 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Engineering degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison earn a boost of about $3,012 over the average earnings of engineering graduates.

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

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
492 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$74,653 Median Starting Salary

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 492 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering program at University of Notre Dame get $6,000 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
296 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$67,505 Median Starting Salary

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

There were approximately 296 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, engineering degree recipients typically earn around $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 list 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 Engineering46,178
Electrical Engineering28,844
Civil Engineering21,388
Computer Engineering17,987
Chemical Engineering12,917
Biomedical Engineering12,811
General Engineering11,796
Industrial Engineering9,072
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering8,001
Systems Engineering3,904

View All Engineering Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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