Best Engineering Colleges in Alabama (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 7 Engineering programs in Alabama by median earnings of Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Auburn University leads the list and reports a six-year completion rate of 82%.
Across the 2 schools with a published figure, median earnings range from $93,995 to $86,438, with a median of $90,216.
Public institutions account for 6 of the 7 listed schools, or 86%. Alabama A & M University posts the lowest average net price at $17,621.
The University of Alabama ranks 233rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, the best showing on the page.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median Engineering Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn University · Auburn, AL | No published median | $24,323 | $16,681 | 45.9% |
| Auburn University admits 46% of applicants and reports a six-year completion rate of 82%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (238 graduates), Architectural Engineering (138 graduates), Civil Engineering (120 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Engineering ($110,927), Chemical Engineering ($106,726), Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering ($102,756) | |||||
| 2 | The University of Alabama · Tuscaloosa, AL | No published median | $22,420 | $19,169 | 76.7% |
| The University of Alabama carries an average net price of $22,420 and ranks 233rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (300 graduates), Chemical Engineering (159 graduates), Civil Engineering (129 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Chemical Engineering ($100,857), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($98,943), Mechanical Engineering ($95,079) | |||||
| 3 | University of Alabama in Huntsville · Huntsville, AL | $93,995 | $18,796 | $16,192 | 68.6% |
| University of Alabama in Huntsville reports median earnings of $93,995 for its Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (124 graduates), Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering (121 graduates), Computer Engineering (71 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($100,296), Mechanical Engineering ($95,341) | |||||
| 4 | University of South Alabama · Mobile, AL | No published median | $17,648 | $12,657 | 71.0% |
| An average net price of $12,657 for families earning under $30,000 is reported by University of South Alabama, alongside a six-year completion rate of 53%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (67 graduates), Civil Engineering (29 graduates), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (26 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($100,166), Chemical Engineering ($93,943), Mechanical Engineering ($89,052) | |||||
| 5 | University of Alabama at Birmingham · Birmingham, AL | $86,438 | $18,749 | $16,172 | 88.2% |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham admits 88% of applicants and its Engineering graduates earn a median of $86,438 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Biomedical/Medical Engineering (51 graduates), Mechanical Engineering (47 graduates), Civil Engineering (44 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($90,089), Mechanical Engineering ($89,589), Materials Engineering ($83,985) | |||||
| 6 | Alabama A & M University · Normal, AL | No published median | $17,621 | $16,500 | 58.0% |
| Alabama A & M University carries an average net price of $17,621, the lowest all-incomes figure on the list. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (30 graduates), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (18 graduates), Civil Engineering (7 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($98,045), Mechanical Engineering ($87,291) | |||||
| 7 | Tuskegee University · Tuskegee, AL | No published median | $35,013 | $34,324 | 48.7% |
| Tuskegee University, a private nonprofit university in Tuskegee, reports a six-year completion rate of 55% and an admission rate of 49%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (40 graduates), Chemical Engineering (11 graduates), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (9 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($95,915), Mechanical Engineering ($93,694) | |||||
How this list is ordered
Schools are ordered by the median earnings of their Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only schools with a reported Engineering earnings cohort in Alabama appear. The figure reflects federally aided Engineering completers 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 range and median below cover the 2 schools with a published figure. The spread from Auburn University to The University of Alabama is $7,557.
Job market context in Alabama
Engineering graduates in Alabama enter a labor market linked to occupations such as Industrial Engineers, Civil Engineers, and Aerospace Engineers. The median annual wage across those occupations is $111,916, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $85,216. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 10.0% higher, with 4,690 projected openings a year, or about 168 openings a year for every hundred graduates, suggesting more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, a different measure from the occupational wage and demand figures described here.