2023 Best General Engineering Schools
Finding the Best General Engineering School for You
In 2020-2021, 11,796 people earned a degree or certificate in general engineering, making the major the #80 most popular in the United States.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best General Engineering Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 179 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best General Engineering Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for engineering majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in General Engineering
Our 2023 rankings named Olin College the best school in the United States for general engineering students. Olin College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Needham.
While working on their degree, engineering majors at Olin College accumulate an average of around $14,492 in student debt.
Read full report on General Engineering at Olin College
Request Information
Out of the 179 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvey Mudd College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Harvey Mudd College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Claremont.
The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at Harvey Mudd College take out is $20,321. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $429.
Request Information
Out of the 179 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Dartmouth College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Request Information
Out of the 179 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Maritime Academy landed the # 4 spot on the list. Maritime is a small public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Buzzards Bay.
Read full report on General Engineering at Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Request Information
Out of the 179 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Request Information
Northwestern University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best General Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Request Information
With a ranking of #7, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best schools for general engineering students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full General Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best schools for general engineering students. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full General Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report
Request Information
Brown University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general engineering students. It came in at #9 on the list. Brown is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Providence.
The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at Brown take out is $14,750.
Read full report on General Engineering at Brown University
Request Information
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general engineering programs. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
Read full report on General Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
Request Information
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best General Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.
Request Information
Vanderbilt University ranked #12 on this year’s Best General Engineering Schools list. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Full General Engineering at Vanderbilt University Report
Request Information
Wake Technical Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general engineering programs. Located in the suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Wake Technical Community College carry an average student debtload of $8,000.
Full General Engineering at Wake Technical Community College Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #14, Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for general engineering students. Located in the city of Terre Haute, Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on General Engineering at Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology
Request Information
With a ranking of #15, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on this year’s best schools for general engineering students. UNL is a fairly large public school located in the city of Lincoln.
Full General Engineering at University of Nebraska - Lincoln Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #16, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best schools for general engineering students. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
Full General Engineering at University of California - Berkeley Report
Request Information
Villanova University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best General Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Full General Engineering at Villanova University Report
Request Information
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #18 on this year’s Best General Engineering Schools list. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of College Station.
Read full report on General Engineering at Texas A&M University - College Station
Request Information
University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general engineering students. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, engineering graduates from UC Davis take out $13,707 in student loans while working on their degree.
Request Information
University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general engineering students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the distant town of Platteville, UW - Platteville is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Platteville
Request Information
Lafayette College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general engineering students. It came in at #21 on the list. Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Easton.
On average, engineering graduates from Lafayette take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Request Information
Michigan Technological University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general engineering students. It came in at #22 on the list. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Houghton.
Request Information
With a ranking of #23, Austin Community College District did quite well on this year’s best schools for general engineering students. Austin Community College District is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Austin.
On average, engineering graduates from Austin Community College District take out $14,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Request Information
Swarthmore College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general engineering students. It came in at #24 on the list. Swarthmore is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Swarthmore.
Read full report on General Engineering at Swarthmore College
Request Information
Colorado School of Mines landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general engineering programs. Located in the suburb of Golden, Mines is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Request InformationRest of the Top Best General Engineering Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for General Engineering students that almost earned our Best General Engineering Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 28 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| 29 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 30 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
| 31 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 32 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 33 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 34 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 35 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
General Engineering by Region
View the Best General Engineering Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More General Engineering Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Engineering
One of 40 majors within the area of study, general engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 46,178 |
| Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
| Civil Engineering | 21,388 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 Rémi Kaupp.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.