Best Colleges for Engineering

Ranked three ways — by what graduates actually earn, by value (earnings vs. what you really pay), and by selectivity. Our rankings, built on real outcomes from U.S. Department of Education data — not opinion.

Where engineering graduates earn the most, four years after finishing.

#School4-Yr EarningsAcceptanceAvg Net Price
1Carnegie Mellon UniversityPA$161,26412%$31,944
2Columbia University in the City of New YorkNY$144,9404%$21,590
3Duke UniversityNC$143,0036%$29,612
4Santa Clara UniversityCA$138,96048%$50,062
5Maine Maritime AcademyME$137,35254%$23,414
6Franklin W Olin College of EngineeringMA$135,13625%$25,171
7Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMA$131,0995%$20,111
8Cornell UniversityNY$123,9749%$28,690
9Harvey Mudd CollegeCA$122,84513%$35,924
10Rice UniversityTX$120,1898%$13,370

Ranked by median earnings 4 years after graduation (graduate-weighted), among schools with at least 25 graduates in this major.

Free · No Credit Card

Where do you stand at these schools?

Take a free 30-minute diagnostic to see your estimated SAT/ACT score, which of these schools are a reach, match, or safety for you, and your personalized net price — then a plan to close the gap.

See where you stand →

Explore other majors

Computer Science · Business · Nursing · Biology · Mathematics · Psychology · Social Sciences · Communications & Journalism · Visual & Performing Arts · English · Education

Rankings are College Prep Path's own — not an official ranking — based on U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.