Best General Engineering Programs in the Northeast (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the Northeast
Regional list from Top General Engineering Programs in the United States
This page lists the 19 General Engineering programs in the Northeast with a reported earnings cohort, ordered by median earnings of General Engineering graduates four years after completing. Franklin W Olin College of Engineering ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $135,136 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the 14 schools with a published figure, earnings range from $135,136 at the top to $72,716, with a median of $87,810.
The list includes 3 public and 16 private nonprofit institutions. Stony Brook University ranks 45th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, the strongest showing on the page. College of Staten Island CUNY posts the lowest average net price, at $5,579.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering · Needham, MA | $135,136 | $25,171 | Not reported | 25.2% |
| Franklin W Olin College of Engineering reports $135,136 in median earnings for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 38 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $128,207 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at Cornell University left with a median of $14,000 in federal loans, and the school admits 9% of applicants. | |||||
| 3 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | No published median | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
| Northeastern University ranks 3rd on this list and posts an admission rate of 5%, with 162 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 4 | Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA | $110,208 | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
| Carnegie Mellon University shows median earnings of $110,208 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $31,944. | |||||
| 5 | Brown University · Providence, RI | $108,550 | $25,184 | -$420* | 5.4% |
| Brown University carries a median federal debt of $15,000 among General Engineering completers who borrowed, and its graduates earn a median of $108,550 four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Lafayette College · Easton, PA | $104,222 | $34,433 | $12,716 | 31.5% |
| With an admission rate of 31%, Lafayette College reports median earnings of $104,222 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | No published median | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
| A public university in University Park, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus ranks 7th on this list and shows a median federal debt of $25,500 among General Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 8 | Stevens Institute of Technology · Hoboken, NJ | No published median | $41,346 | $27,221 | 47.6% |
| Stevens Institute of Technology posts an average net price of $41,346 and a school-wide median federal debt of $27,000 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 9 | Wentworth Institute of Technology · Boston, MA | $96,695 | $34,170 | $27,018 | 91.2% |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology reports median earnings of $96,695 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 91%. | |||||
| 10 | Elizabethtown College · Elizabethtown, PA | $88,104 | $26,598 | $17,776 | 77.9% |
| Elizabethtown College shows a median federal debt of $26,788 among General Engineering completers who borrowed, and its graduates earn a median of $88,104 four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | Stony Brook University · Stony Brook, NY | $87,517 | $18,784 | $12,943 | 49.0% |
| Stony Brook University ranks 11th on this list and reports an average net price of $18,784, with median earnings of $87,517 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | Messiah University · Mechanicsburg, PA | $84,927 | $26,502 | $19,393 | 79.0% |
| With 16 graduates in the earnings cohort, Messiah University reports median earnings of $84,927 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | Saint Vincent College · Latrobe, PA | $84,180 | $23,510 | $17,249 | 61.7% |
| Saint Vincent College reports median earnings of $84,180 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $23,510. | |||||
| 14 | Swarthmore College · Swarthmore, PA | $78,519 | $23,149 | $7,690 | 7.5% |
| Swarthmore College admits 7% of applicants and its General Engineering graduates four years after completing earn a median of $78,519. | |||||
| 15 | University of Hartford · West Hartford, CT | $78,351 | $30,282 | $25,925 | 95.8% |
| University of Hartford ranks 15th on this list, with median federal debt of $27,000 among General Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 16 | Geneva College · Beaver Falls, PA | $75,535 | $25,890 | $20,283 | Not reported |
| Geneva College posts an average net price of $20,283 for families earning under $30,000, and its General Engineering graduates four years after completing earn a median of $75,535. | |||||
| 17 | College of Staten Island CUNY · Staten Island, NY | $72,716 | $5,579 | $3,903 | 92.3% |
| A public university in Staten Island, College of Staten Island CUNY ranks 93rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 18 | Alfred University · Alfred, NY | No published median | $25,620 | $16,512 | 73.8% |
| Alfred University carries an admission rate of 74% and a school-wide median federal debt of $26,000 across all borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 19 | Johnson & Wales University-Providence · Providence, RI | No published median | $31,027 | $25,530 | 88.4% |
| Johnson & Wales University-Providence reports an average net price of $31,027 and an admission rate of 88%. | |||||
* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Pre-Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the Northeast appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing the program. 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 14 schools with a published figure. The gap between first-ranked Franklin W Olin College of Engineering and second-ranked Cornell University is $6,929.
Job market context in the Northeast
Graduates of General Engineering programs in the Northeast enter occupations such as Engineers, All Other, Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary, and related technical roles. The median annual wage across those occupations is $113,252, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $83,268. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 3.5% higher, with about 794 openings a year for every hundred graduates, 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; the market figures describe the broader occupations, and the two are not the same measure.
Related rankings
- Best Colleges in the Northeast
- Best Engineering Colleges in the Northeast
- Engineering Colleges in the Northeast for Social Mobility