Top 20 Engineering Schools In US
As technology continues to advance, the demand for engineering and engineers is constantly increasing. Many national and international students choose to study in the USA due to its numerous streams of engineering to choose from and high level of research facilities.
Along with great learning opportunities, the students who graduate with an engineering degree in the USA will find numerous career opportunities worldwide. Similarly, the United States has some of the most prestigious engineering schools that have been best-ranked in the world for many consecutive years. So, let us look at the list of top 20 engineering schools in the United States according to US News.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Acceptance Rate: 4%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1520
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.5
- Tuition and Fees: $57,986
- Popular Courses: Aerospace, Aeronautical, Astronautical, Biomedical, Chemical Engineering
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology of Engineering (SoE) is one of the five schools of MIT. The engineering department has eight academic departments and two interdisciplinary institutes.
There are almost 20 research centers on campus that explore topics as varied as cancer research, ocean engineering, and soldier nanotechnologies. However, this school is extremely selective, and meeting the student GPA requirements and SAT/ACT requirements is very important to getting past even the first round of the admission process.
2. Stanford University
- Acceptance Rate: 4%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1500
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.96
- Tuition and Fees: $56,169
- Popular Courses: Aeronautics and Astronautics, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering
Stanford University is a private research university considered one of the most prestigious engineering schools in the world. The university follows a quarter system with the autumn quarter usually in late September and the spring quarter ending in mid-June.
The classified R1 Doctoral University has only a 4% acceptance rate and for every 100 applicants, only 4 are admitted with a thorough selection process. Stanford University's School of Engineering comprises nine academic departments that cover a wide range of disciplines including aeronautics and mechanical engineering.
3. University of California - Berkely
- Acceptance Rate: 9%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1415
- Average GPA Requirements: 4.19
- Tuition and Fees: $14,226
- Popular Courses: Electrical engineering, Mechanical engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer engineering
The University of California is a public research university and is regarded as one of the top engineering schools in the United States. The university is divided into 14 colleges and schools, including the highly ranked Haas School of Business, College of Engineering, and more.
The Berkley Engineering undergraduate and graduate programs are ranked best around the world. The campus is highly selective and admission is a competitive process. The institute operates on a semester calendar and offers students 350 degree programs.
4. Purdue University - West Lafayette
- Acceptance Rate: 69%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1310
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.69
- Tuition and Fees: $9,992
- Popular Courses: Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering, Agricultural, Biological, Biomedical, Chemical engineering
Purdue University is a well-regarded public university located in Wabash Township, Indiana. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in over 211 major areas of study and is well known for its competitive engineering curricula.
Additionally, The Purdue College of Engineering first started with programs in Civil and Mechanical engineering and now the college offers BS, MS, and PhD degrees in more than a dozen disciplines. The university has also educated 24 of America's astronauts and as of now, the selection process is comparatively easy as compared to other engineering schools.
5. Carnegie Mellon University
- Acceptance Rate: 14%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1510
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.84
- Tuition and Fees: $61,344
- Popular Courses: Electronic engineering, Chemical engineering, Biomedical engineering, computer science
The private research university, Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is known for its advances in research and consists of seven prestigious colleges including the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and the Tepper School of Business.
Carnegie Mellon's College of Engineering comprises seven primary engineering departments, two interdisciplinary institutes, and the Engineering Research Accelerator. The admission process for Carnegie Mellon University is challenging, and students must complete a lengthy application process. For the class of 2026, the university received 24,261 applications, but only 3,873 students were admitted.
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
- Acceptance Rate: 18%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1370
- Average GPA Requirements: 4.07
- Tuition and Fees: $11,764
- Popular Courses: Computer engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering
The renowned Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Atlanta, Georgia. Early in the beginning, the institute only offered a degree in mechanical engineering and later it was expanded to electrical, civil, and chemical engineering.
As of now, Georgia's institute is organized into 6 colleges and contains about 31 departments and academic units, with an emphasis on science and technology. For the class of 2025, the technology institute received 45,388 applications and only 8,308 students were able to get selected through the intense selection process.
7. California Institute of Technology
- Acceptance Rate: 4%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1530
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.5
- Tuition and Fees: $60,864
- Popular Courses: Aerospace, Biomedical, Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, Environmental engineering
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is a renowned science and engineering research and education institute. It has six academic divisions with a strong emphasis in science and technology teaching and research and is responsible for many modern scientific advancements.
Caltech is a highly residential research university that is more famous among graduate students than undergraduates. It has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges since 1949 and follows a quarter academic system. Admission to Caltech is extremely thorough and careful.
8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
- Acceptance Rate: 20%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1380
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.8
- Tuition and Fees: $17,786
- Popular Courses: Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering
A Public University, the University of Michigan is one of the biggest public research universities in the United States. It is a large institution with 30,798 undergraduate students in 19 colleges and offers degree programs at undergraduate and graduate levels in 250 disciplines.
The University of Michigan is renowned for its academic excellence in engineering and requires a strong application for admission. With 14 highly-ranked engineering departments, the university follows a trimester-based academic calendar.
9. University of Texas - Austin
- Acceptance Rate: 29%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1230
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.83
- Tuition and Fees: $11,752
- Popular Courses: Petroleum Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering
The University of Texas is a renowned public research university situated in Austin, Texas. The main campus has 150 buildings and offers more than 100 undergraduate and 170 graduate degrees along with professional degrees and honors programs in various majors.
Additionally, the Cockrell School of Engineering is one of the eighteen colleges that has more than 8,000 students enrolled in eleven undergraduate and thirteen graduate programs. The engineering school has formally organized research units that coordinate and promote faculty-student research.
10. Texas A&M University - College Station
- Acceptance Rate: 64%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1270
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.68
- Tuition and Fees: $13,178
- Popular Courses: Aerospace, Architectural, Biological and Agricultural, Chemical engineering
Texas A&M University is a public research university based in College Station, Texas. The institution offers degrees in more than 130 courses of study through 17 colleges, and houses 21 research institutes. It is also classified among R1 Doctoral Universities with very high research activity.
The engineering school is consistently among the nation's top public undergraduate and graduate engineering programs in U.S. News and World Report's annual ranking. In 15 departments there are more than 22,500 engineering students enrolled in this institution and is comparatively easy to get in for international students.
11. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Acceptance Rate: 60%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1340
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.83
- Tuition and Fees: $17,138
- Popular Courses: Aerospace Engineering, Bioengineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering
The University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC) is a public research university with over 56,000 students. The institute contains 16 schools and colleges and offers more than 150 undergraduate and over 100 graduate programs of study and is classified among R1 Doctoral Universities with very high research activity.
UIUC operates on a semester-based academic calendar. For the class of 2025, the university received a total of 47,593 applications and accepted 28,395 students. The engineering school, Grainger, has been consistently ranked among the best engineering institutes for students. It has 10 departments, 20 research centers, and 10 laboratories.
12. University of California - San Diego (Jacobs)
- Acceptance Rate: 34%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1270
- Average GPA Requirements: 4.07
- Tuition and Fees: $15,348
- Popular Courses: Bioengineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Nanoengineering
The University of California (UDSD) is a public research university that offers over 200 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It is considered to be among the best universities in the world and its engineering department is ranked to be among top in the world.
UDSD consists of twelve undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools as well as eight undergraduate residential colleges. The Jacobs School of Engineering offers BS BA, MEng, MS, and Ph.D. degrees and is home to six engineering departments, eighteen undergraduate majors sixteen master's degrees, and twelve Ph.D. programs.
13. Cornell University
- Acceptance Rate: 9%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1470
- Average GPA Requirements: 4.07
- Tuition and Fees: $63,200
- Popular Courses: Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Chemical Engineering
Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university with nine privately endowed colleges and four publicly supported statutory colleges, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. The university has been accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
The Engineering division of Cornell University is one of the highest-rated engineering schools in the Ivy League and offers over 450 engineering courses, and has an annual research budget exceeding US $112 million. The college is reputed for nanotechnology and the engineering department is divided into 12 departments and schools.
14. Johns Hopkins University (Whiting)
- Acceptance Rate: 8%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1490
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.92
- Tuition and Fees: $60,480
- Popular Courses: Chemical and Bioengineering, Computer Engineering, Environmental Engineering
John Hopkins University (JHU) is a private research university located in Baltimore, Maryland. The four-year undergraduate program is the most selective with low transfer-in and a high graduate co-existence and over time the application to JHU has also increased steadily.
The engineering division of JHU contains nine departments including Applied Mathematics & Statistics, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The engineering program offers master's degree programs and courses in 21 distinct disciplines with various academic and research centers.
15. University Of Southern California
- Acceptance Rate: 13%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1410
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.75
- Tuition and Fees: $64,726
- Popular Courses: Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering
The University of Southern California is a private research university located in Los Angeles, California. With an enrollment of 20,206 undergraduate students admission is extremely competitive in this institution so the students must follow the lengthy selection procedures.
The highly-ranked engineering department of the university is comprised of eight academic departments and several programs for both graduate and undergraduate students. With over $135 million in external funding support, the school is among the nation's highest in volume research activity.
16. University Of California - Los Angeles
- Acceptance Rate: 11%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1290
- Average GPA Requirements: 4.5
- Tuition and Fees: $13,804
- Popular Courses: Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering
The University of California is a public research university that offers 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a range of disciplines. The university is organized into the College of Letters and Science and twelve professional schools among them six offer undergraduate degree programs.
The engineering school, UCLA Henry Samueli offers 28 degree programs and is home to eight externally funded interdisciplinary research centers, including those in space exploration, wireless sensor systems, and nanotechnology. It consists of seven departments and one interdepartmental program.
17. Columbia University
- Acceptance Rate: 6%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1500
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.9
- Tuition and Fees: $65,524
- Popular Courses: Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Earth & Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering
One of the oldest universities in the state of New York, Columbia University is a private Ivy League research university. It has 20 schools that include architecture, planning, and preservation, a Jewish theological seminary, and 23 libraries that are around the city.
The acceptance rate is very low for Columbia University so interested students must go through a lengthy selection process. The engineering school of this university is one of the top engineering schools and its biomedical engineering program is most renowned according to US News.
18. Northwestern University
- Acceptance Rate: 7%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1470
- Average GPA Requirements: 4.1
- Tuition and Fees: $63,468
- Popular Courses: Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Northwestern University is a private research university and the oldest chartered university in Illinois, United States. The university is composed of eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools including McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
The engineering school budgets $1.5 billion each year for research efforts and the research is majorly focused at McCormick including biotechnology, information technology, nanotechnology, and service and infrastructure technologies but the acceptance rate is low and the interested student must go through the tough selection process.
19. University Of Colorado
- Acceptance Rate: 80%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1170
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.66
- Tuition and Fees: $13,106
- Popular Courses: Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
The University of Colorado is a public research university that consists of nine colleges and schools and offers over 150 academic programs. It is also classified among R1 Doctoral Universities and attracted the support of over $634 million for research in the year 2021.
The engineering center of the campus houses the nation's largest geotechnical centrifuge as well as ion-implantation and microwave-propagation facilities, spectrometers, electron and other microscopes, and a structural analysis facility. Additionally, the acceptance rate is also much higher as compared to other engineering schools.
20. University of Maryland - College Park (Clark)
- Acceptance Rate: 52%
- Average Entry SAT Score: 1370
- Average GPA Requirements: 3.5
- Tuition and Fees: $11,233
- Popular Courses: Aerospace engineering, Bioengineering, Chemical Biomolecular engineering, Environmental engineering
The University of Maryland, College Park is a public research university and is also the largest university in both the state and the Washington metropolitan area. It has 12 schools and colleges which offer over 200 degree-granting programs.
The engineering college of the university, A. James Clark School of Engineering hosts eight different departments that include Aerospace engineering, Bioengineering, and more. The engineering school consists of various facilities and provides Master of Science, Engineering, and Ph.D. degrees.
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