2023 Best Engineering Schools
Finding the Best Engineering School for You
With 198,468 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, engineering is the #7 most popular major in the United States.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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.
The Best Engineering Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 330 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Engineering Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Engineering Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Engineering
Our 2023 rankings named Olin College the best school in the United States for engineering students. Olin College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Needham.
On average, engineering graduates from Olin College take out $14,492 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dartmouth College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Engineering Schools list. Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Dartmouth carry an average student debtload of $15,000.
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The excellent programs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best engineering schools in the United States. MIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.
After completing their degree, engineering graduates from MIT carry an average student debtload of $11,567. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $535.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Engineering Schools list. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
On average, engineering graduates from Duke take out $10,912 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Rice University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools list. Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Rice carry an average student debtload of $11,006.
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Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for engineering students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at Northwestern take out is $15,958.
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Princeton University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools list. Princeton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Princeton.
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With a ranking of #9, Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for engineering students. Located in the small city of Terre Haute, Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, engineering graduates from Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology take out $25,821 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $925, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Stanford University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for engineering students. It came in at #10 on the list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.
Engineering majors at Stanford take out an average of $8,929 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of Notre Dame came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Engineering Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
While working on their degree, engineering majors at Notre Dame accumulate an average of around $19,915 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $571.
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Brown University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Engineering Schools ranking. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Providence.
While working on their degree, engineering majors at Brown accumulate an average of around $14,875 in student debt.
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Massachusetts Maritime Academy came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Engineering Schools ranking. Maritime is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Buzzards Bay.
After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Maritime carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
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Carnegie Mellon University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best engineering programs. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Carnegie Mellon carry an average student debtload of $23,649.
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Vanderbilt University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best engineering programs. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Vanderbilt carry an average student debtload of $17,040.
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University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools list. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.
After completing their degree, engineering graduates from University of Virginia carry an average student debtload of $19,296.
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Kettering University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best engineering programs. Kettering is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Flint.
Engineering majors at Kettering take out an average of $29,833 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $313, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of California - Berkeley landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best engineering programs. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Engineering majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $13,535 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $370, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Bucknell University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools list. Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Lewisburg.
While working on their degree, engineering majors at Bucknell accumulate an average of around $25,781 in student debt.
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The University of Texas at Austin ranked #20 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools list. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, engineering majors at UT Austin accumulate an average of around $20,884 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $299.
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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best engineering programs. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.
On average, engineering graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out $20,507 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $455.
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With a ranking of #22, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for engineering students. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Engineering majors at UPenn take out an average of $12,474 in student loans while working on their egree.
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National University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of La Jolla.
The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at National University take out is $35,500.
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Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Best Engineering Schools list. Georgia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Atlanta.
Engineering majors at Georgia Tech take out an average of $25,881 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $445, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Lafayette College landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best engineering programs. Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Easton.
After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Lafayette carry an average student debtload of $19,563.
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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.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
| 51 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 52 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
| 53 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 54 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 55 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 56 | Tufts University | Medford, MA |
| 56 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 58 | Ohio Northern University | Ada, OH |
| 59 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 60 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 61 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
| 62 | University of California - Davis | Davis, CA |
| 63 | University of Wisconsin - Platteville | Platteville, WI |
| 64 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
| 65 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 66 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | Rolla, MO |
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 |
| Great Lakes |
More Engineering Rankings
Engineering Related Rankings by Major
Engineering Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 46,178 |
| Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
| Civil Engineering | 21,388 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 12,811 |
| General Engineering | 11,796 |
| Industrial Engineering | 9,072 |
| Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | 8,001 |
| Systems Engineering | 3,904 |
| Materials Engineering | 3,415 |
| Other Engineering | 2,760 |
| Environmental Engineering | 2,759 |
| Operations Research | 1,698 |
| Agricultural Engineering | 1,472 |
| Engineering Science | 1,454 |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering. | 1,378 |
| Petroleum Engineering | 1,256 |
| Robotics Engineering | 1,243 |
| Architectural Engineering | 1,012 |
| Engineering Physics | 994 |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 947 |
| Construction Engineering | 878 |
| Nuclear Engineering | 864 |
| Marine Engineering | 445 |
| Biological Engineering | 410 |
| Polymer & Plastics Engineering | 360 |
| Geoscience Engineering | 325 |
| Mining Engineering | 314 |
| Textile Engineering | 310 |
| Ocean Engineering | 285 |
| Engineering Mechanics | 272 |
| Metallurgical Engineering | 179 |
| Energy Systems Engineering | 138 |
| Biochemical Engineering | 109 |
| Ceramic Engineering | 94 |
| Surveying Engineering | 73 |
| Electromechanical Engineering | 45 |
| Forest Engineering | 41 |
| Paper Science & Engineering | 27 |
| Engineering Chemistry | 13 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer & Information Sciences | 254,454 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 177,778 |
| Engineering Technologies | 85,188 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 52,396 |
| Physical Sciences | 50,306 |
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 Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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