Best Civil Engineering Programs in New York (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in New York
This page ranks the 12 Civil Engineering programs in New York by the median earnings of Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $108,466 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the 12 schools with a published figure, median earnings range from $108,466 to $75,078, with a median of $90,119.
The list includes 4 public and 8 private nonprofit institutions. CUNY City College posts the lowest average net price on the page, at $3,776. Stony Brook University ranks 45th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art · New York, NY | $108,466 | $13,269 | $3,749 | 20.7% |
| The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $108,466 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY | $108,246 | $21,590 | $4,570 | 4.0% |
| A private nonprofit university in New York, Columbia University in the City of New York admits 4% of applicants and reports $108,246 in median earnings for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Manhattan University · Riverdale, NY | $95,877 | $27,256 | $27,281 | 78.9% |
| Manhattan University posts a median of $95,877 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside a median federal debt of $27,000 among Civil Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 4 | New York University · New York, NY | $94,867 | $37,050 | $16,977 | 9.2% |
| With an average net price of $37,050, New York University reports median earnings of $94,867 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | Stony Brook University · Stony Brook, NY | $92,908 | $18,784 | $12,943 | 49.0% |
| Stony Brook University, a public university, reports $92,908 in median earnings for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing and ranks 45th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 6 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $91,242 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| Cornell University shows a median federal debt of $12,500 among Civil Engineering completers who borrowed, and its graduates four years after completing earn a median of $91,242. | |||||
| 7 | Syracuse University · Syracuse, NY | $88,996 | $38,793 | $15,817 | 45.9% |
| Syracuse University reports median earnings of $88,996 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 46%. | |||||
| 8 | CUNY City College · New York, NY | $87,957 | $3,776 | $1,251 | 60.0% |
| CUNY City College carries an average net price of $3,776 and reports median earnings of $87,957 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY | $86,794 | $36,228 | $24,078 | 63.5% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks 9th on this list, with a median of $86,794 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing and a cohort of 52 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 10 | University at Buffalo · Buffalo, NY | $84,868 | $20,995 | $14,668 | 74.2% |
| University at Buffalo reports median earnings of $84,868 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside a median federal debt of $19,500 among Civil Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 11 | Clarkson University · Potsdam, NY | $82,387 | $30,305 | $21,335 | 77.4% |
| Clarkson University admits 77% of applicants and reports median earnings of $82,387 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | SUNY Polytechnic Institute · Utica, NY | $75,078 | $14,164 | $7,442 | 81.4% |
| SUNY Polytechnic Institute reports median earnings of $75,078 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $14,164. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in New York appear. The figure covers federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. It does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and Columbia University in the City of New York is $220, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom is $33,388.
Job market context in New York
Civil Engineering graduates in New York enter a labor market that includes occupations such as Civil Engineers and Engineers, All Other. The median annual wage across those occupations is $106,696, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $86,789. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 1,790 openings a year, or about 247 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 0.1% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the median earnings of graduates four years after completing, which is a different measure from the occupational wage figures reported here.