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Best Colleges for Engineering

The best colleges for a Engineering degree, led by Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Pennsylvania. Each school is shown with its acceptance rate, tuition, and average SAT so you can weigh Engineering programs side by side.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best college for Engineering?

Based on our rankings, Stanford University is the top-ranked college for Engineering. Other top choices include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University.

What are the best Engineering schools?

The best Engineering schools, based on program-specific federal data including median earnings and graduate counts, are Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania. Our rankings use College Scorecard field-of-study data rather than editorial opinion.

How much does it cost to study Engineering?

The average out-of-state tuition among top Engineering programs is approximately $63,374 per year. However, costs vary significantly — many schools offer generous financial aid packages that can reduce the effective cost.

How long does it take to get a Engineering degree?

A bachelor's degree in Engineering typically takes four years of full-time study. Some programs offer accelerated tracks or combined bachelor's-to-master's options that can extend or shorten the timeline.

How are these Engineering rankings determined?

Our major rankings are independently calculated from U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study (CIP) data — primarily median earnings 4 years after graduation and program scale (graduate count), with a 10+ annual graduates minimum per program. They are not derived from US News or any other publication.

Career outcomes for Engineering graduates

Among the top 10 ranked Engineering programs, the average early-career salary is approximately $107,970 per year. Below are the highest-paying Engineering programs based on federal College Scorecard earnings data reported by graduates four years after completion.

  1. 1. Stanford University — Stanford, CA · 3.6% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $65,910 tuition · 92% grad rate
  2. 2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Cambridge, MA · 4.6% acceptance · SAT 1,560 · $62,396 tuition · 96% grad rate
  3. 3. University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, PA · 5.4% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $68,686 tuition · 97% grad rate
  4. 4. Princeton University — Princeton, NJ · 4.6% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $62,688 tuition · 98% grad rate
  5. 5. Columbia University in the City of New York — New York, NY · 4% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $71,845 tuition · 96% grad rate
  6. 6. Northwestern University — Evanston, IL · 7.7% acceptance · SAT 1,533 · $68,322 tuition · 95% grad rate
  7. 7. Carnegie Mellon University — Pittsburgh, PA · 11.7% acceptance · SAT 1,546 · $66,246 tuition · 94% grad rate
  8. 8. Cornell University — Ithaca, NY · 8.8% acceptance · SAT 1,535 · $69,314 tuition · 95% grad rate
  9. 9. Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, MD · 6.4% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $65,230 tuition · 94% grad rate
  10. 10. University of Southern California — Los Angeles, CA · 9.8% acceptance · SAT 1,495 · $72,097 tuition · 92% grad rate
  11. 11. Rice University — Houston, TX · 8% acceptance · SAT 1,553 · $64,144 tuition · 95% grad rate
  12. 12. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus — Atlanta, GA · 14.1% acceptance · SAT 1,480 · $34,484 tuition · 94% grad rate
  13. 13. Duke University — Durham, NC · 5.7% acceptance · SAT 1,548 · $68,758 tuition · 97% grad rate
  14. 14. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, MI · 15.6% acceptance · SAT 1,465 · $60,946 tuition · 93% grad rate
  15. 15. Tufts University — Medford, MA · 11.5% acceptance · SAT 1,513 · $70,704 tuition · 94% grad rate
  16. 16. Franklin W Olin College of Engineering — Needham, MA · 25.2% acceptance · SAT 1,520 · $66,398 tuition · 96% grad rate
  17. 17. Northeastern University — Boston, MA · 5.2% acceptance · SAT 1,497 · $66,162 tuition · 91% grad rate
  18. 18. Dartmouth College — Hanover, NH · 5.4% acceptance · SAT 1,534 · $68,268 tuition · 96% grad rate
  19. 19. Harvey Mudd College — Claremont, CA · 12.7% acceptance · SAT 1,545 · $68,613 tuition · 92% grad rate
  20. 20. Vanderbilt University — Nashville, TN · 5.9% acceptance · SAT 1,549 · $67,498 tuition · 94% grad rate
  21. 21. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — Champaign, IL · 42.4% acceptance · SAT 1,440 · $35,124 tuition · 85% grad rate
  22. 22. University of Virginia-Main Campus — Charlottesville, VA · 16.8% acceptance · SAT 1,480 · $59,512 tuition · 96% grad rate
  23. 23. Boston University — Boston, MA · 11.1% acceptance · SAT 1,480 · $68,102 tuition · 89% grad rate
  24. 24. University of California-Berkeley — Berkeley, CA · 11% acceptance · $50,547 tuition · 93% grad rate
  25. 25. Loyola Marymount University — Los Angeles, CA · 45.1% acceptance · SAT 1,359 · $62,357 tuition · 79% grad rate

Best Colleges for Engineering on PickACampus