2023 Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools
Finding the Best Civil Engineering School for You
Civil Engineering is the #50 most popular major in the country with 21,388 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools ranking. This report analyzed 315 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Civil Engineering program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools in the United States
Check out the civil eng programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools in Civil Engineering
Our 2023 rankings named University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the most popular school in the United States for civil engineering students. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.
On average, civil eng graduates from UIUC take out $18,641 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $485, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools list. Located in the city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at Texas A&M College Station take out is $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $275.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools list. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, civil eng graduates from Virginia Tech carry an average student debt load of $25,880. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $519, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a great place for civil engineering students. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, civil eng graduates from UW Seattle carry an average student debt load of $15,167. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $488.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means New Jersey Institute of Technology is a great place for civil engineering students. Located in the city of Newark, NJIT is a public school with a large student population.
On average, civil eng graduates from NJIT take out $23,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for civil engineering students. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.
Civil Eng majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $14,342 in student loans while working on their egree.
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular civil engineering programs. Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the city of West Lafayette.
While working on their degree, civil eng majors at Purdue accumulate an average of around $20,569 in student debt.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public college with a very large student population.
Civil Eng majors at Cal Poly Pomona take out an average of $17,981 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $189, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for civil engineering students. It came in at #9 on the list. UF is a very large public school located in the city of Gainesville.
On average, civil eng graduates from UF take out $18,075 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Florida
With a ranking of #10, University of California - Davis did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for civil engineering students. UC Davis is a very large public school located in the suburb of Davis.
The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at UC Davis take out is $16,202.
Full Civil Engineering at University of California - Davis Report
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools ranking. ASU - Tempe is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.
After completing their degree, civil eng graduates from ASU - Tempe carry an average student debt load of $24,858. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $264.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe
North Carolina State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for civil engineering students. It came in at #12 on the list. NC State is a very large public school located in the large city of Raleigh.
While working on their degree, civil eng majors at NC State accumulate an average of around $25,688 in student debt.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at North Carolina State University
The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular civil engineering programs. UT Arlington is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Arlington.
After completing their degree, civil eng graduates from UT Arlington carry an average student debt load of $21,500.
Full Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington Report
With a ranking of #14, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for civil engineering students. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the city of Austin.
After completing their degree, civil eng graduates from UT Austin carry an average student debt load of $21,172. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $376, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular civil engineering programs. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
Civil Eng majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out an average of $20,368 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $315.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular civil engineering programs. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, civil eng graduates from Georgia Tech take out $25,567 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $324.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
University of Central Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for civil engineering students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, civil eng graduates from UCF take out $25,150 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Civil Engineering at University of Central Florida Report
University at Buffalo ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools list. Located in the suburb of Buffalo, University at Buffalo is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, civil eng graduates from University at Buffalo take out $22,685 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University at Buffalo
Northeastern University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, civil eng graduates from Northeastern take out $28,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
University of California - San Diego came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, civil eng majors at UCSD accumulate an average of around $20,000 in student debt.
Full Civil Engineering at University of California - San Diego Report
With a ranking of #21, Clemson University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for civil engineering students. Clemson is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Clemson.
While working on their degree, civil eng majors at Clemson accumulate an average of around $23,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $425, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
California State University - Sacramento came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a very large student population.
Civil Eng majors at Sac State take out an average of $22,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $156.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at California State University - Sacramento
Iowa State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools ranking. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the small city of Ames.
While working on their degree, civil eng majors at Iowa State accumulate an average of around $26,125 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $183, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Stanford University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular civil engineering programs. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools list. Ohio State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Columbus.
The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at Ohio State take out is $26,875. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $260.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Rest of the Top Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 49 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
| 50 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
| 51 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 52 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 53 | Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO |
| 53 | Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, MS |
| 55 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 56 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 57 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 58 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
| 59 | Manhattan College | Riverdale, NY |
| 60 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 60 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 60 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 60 | Portland State University | Portland, OR |
Civil Engineering by Region
View the Most Popular Civil Engineering Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Civil Engineering Related Majors
Civil Engineering is one of 40 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Civil Eng
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 46,178 |
| Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 12,811 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Master Sgt. Roger Parsons.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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