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# Best General Engineering Programs in the South (2026)

Updated September 30, 2026

Part of [Best Engineering Colleges in the South](/rankings/best-engineering-colleges-in-the-south/)

Regional list from [Top General Engineering Programs in the United States](/rankings/best-general-engineering-programs/)

This page ranks 20 General Engineering programs in the South by median earnings of General Engineering graduates four years after completing. Across the 16 programs with a published figure, median earnings range from $107,319 to $44,356, and the median of those values is $87,694.

[McNeese State University](/school/mcneese-state-university/majors/) ranks 1st on this list, reporting $107,319 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing.

Public institutions account for 14 of the 20 listed programs, and private nonprofits for 6. Marshall University posts the lowest average net price on the page at $7,502.

University of Maryland-College Park ranks 71st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

## The ranked list

20 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | McNeese State University · Lake Charles, LA | $107,319 | $12,493 | $10,482 | 78.3% |
|  | [McNeese State University](/school/mcneese-state-university/majors/) ranks 1st on this list, with [median earnings of $107,319](/school/mcneese-state-university/outcomes/) for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing. |
| 2 | Louisiana Tech University · Ruston, LA | No published median | $11,864 | $7,676 | 86.4% |
|  | [Louisiana Tech University](/school/louisiana-tech-university/majors/) reports an [average net price of $7,676](/school/louisiana-tech-university/cost/) for families earning under $30,000 and ranks 2nd on this page. |
| 3 | University of Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA | $101,078 | $21,565 | $8,174 | 16.8% |
|  | A public university in Charlottesville, [University of Virginia-Main Campus](/school/university-of-virginia-main-campus/majors/) [admits 17% of applicants](/school/university-of-virginia-main-campus/admissions/) and reports median earnings of $101,078 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing. |
| 4 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $99,838 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% |
|  | [North Carolina State University at Raleigh](/school/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/majors/) [ranks 99th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and posts median earnings of $99,838 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing. |
| 5 | Frostburg State University · Frostburg, MD | $99,671 | $16,715 | $12,129 | 89.2% |
|  | [Frostburg State University](/school/frostburg-state-university/majors/) reports a [median federal debt of $18,500](/school/frostburg-state-university/cost/) among General Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $99,671 four years after completing. |
| 6 | Texas Christian University · Fort Worth, TX | $93,753 | $36,660 | $17,956 | 44.5% |
|  | [Texas Christian University](/school/texas-christian-university/majors/), a private nonprofit institution in Fort Worth, reports [median earnings of $93,753](/school/texas-christian-university/outcomes/) for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $36,660. |
| 7 | University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD | No published median | $15,678 | $2,962 | 44.8% |
|  | [University of Maryland-College Park](/school/university-of-maryland-college-park/majors/) holds the strongest Azimuth composite rank on this list, 71st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and reports an [average net price of $2,962](/school/university-of-maryland-college-park/cost/) for families earning under $30,000. |
| 8 | James Madison University · Harrisonburg, VA | $91,761 | $23,322 | $11,444 | 71.5% |
|  | With 67 graduates in the earnings cohort, [James Madison University](/school/james-madison-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $91,761](/school/james-madison-university/outcomes/) for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing. |
| 9 | Mississippi State University · Mississippi State, MS | No published median | $17,595 | $14,332 | 77.6% |
|  | [Mississippi State University](/school/mississippi-state-university/majors/) ranks 9th on this list and reports a [median federal debt of $18,947](/school/mississippi-state-university/cost/) among General Engineering completers who borrowed. |
| 10 | Mercer University · Macon, GA | $88,413 | $23,847 | $19,817 | 68.9% |
|  | [Mercer University](/school/mercer-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $88,413](/school/mercer-university/outcomes/) for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 69%. |
| 11 | University of North Carolina Asheville · Asheville, NC | $88,346 | $12,250 | $8,219 | 91.9% |
|  | University of North Carolina Asheville ranks 11th on this list, with an average net price of $12,250 and median earnings of $88,346 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing. |
| 12 | The University of Tennessee-Martin · Martin, TN | $87,043 | $10,701 | $7,151 | 88.2% |
|  | The University of Tennessee-Martin reports a median federal debt of $29,750 among General Engineering completers who borrowed and median earnings of $87,043 four years after completing. |
| 13 | Loyola University Maryland · Baltimore, MD | $86,585 | $30,574 | $20,549 | 75.5% |
|  | Loyola University Maryland reports median earnings of $86,585 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 31 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 14 | East Carolina University · Greenville, NC | $84,847 | $15,739 | $10,046 | 89.2% |
|  | [East Carolina University](/school/east-carolina-university/majors/) [admits 89% of applicants](/school/east-carolina-university/admissions/) and carries an average net price of $15,739. |
| 15 | Baylor University · Waco, TX | $84,689 | $41,104 | $22,024 | 51.3% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed at [Baylor University](/school/baylor-university/majors/) left with a [median of $23,000](/school/baylor-university/outcomes/) in federal loans, and the school's General Engineering graduates earned a median of $84,689 four years after completing. |
| 16 | Oral Roberts University · Tulsa, OK | $84,649 | $25,365 | $21,894 | 98.9% |
|  | Oral Roberts University ranks 1172nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports an average net price of $21,894 for families earning under $30,000. |
| 17 | Western Carolina University · Cullowhee, NC | $82,500 | $13,315 | $8,816 | 81.8% |
|  | [Western Carolina University](/school/western-carolina-university/majors/) posts [median earnings of $82,500](/school/western-carolina-university/outcomes/) for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an 82% admission rate. |
| 18 | Auburn University · Auburn, AL | No published median | $24,323 | $16,681 | 45.9% |
|  | [Auburn University](/school/auburn-university/majors/) [ranks 264th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/auburn-university/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and admits 46% of applicants. |
| 19 | Marshall University · Huntington, WV | $72,922 | $7,502 | $4,648 | 95.7% |
|  | [Marshall University](/school/marshall-university/majors/) carries an [average net price of $7,502,](/school/marshall-university/cost/) the lowest on this list, and its General Engineering graduates earned a median of $72,922 four years after completing. |
| 20 | University of the Incarnate Word · San Antonio, TX | $44,356 | $22,775 | $19,260 | 98.1% |
|  | [University of the Incarnate Word](/school/university-of-the-incarnate-word/majors/) reports [median earnings of $44,356](/school/university-of-the-incarnate-word/outcomes/) for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 98%. |

## How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their General Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the South appear. The figure is the median for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 1 of the 20 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric 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 16 schools with a published figure. McNeese State University reports $107,319, and the spread from that top figure to the lowest listed median is $62,963.

## Job market context in the South

The Bureau of Labor Statistics links General Engineering to occupations such as Engineers, All Other and Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. Across those occupations in the South, the median annual wage is $116,738, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $85,791. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 7.0% higher, with about 973 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. These market figures describe the occupations, not the earnings of any listed program, which the ranking above measures directly.

## Related rankings

-   [Best Colleges in the South](/rankings/best-colleges-in-the-south/)
-   [Best Engineering Colleges in the South](/rankings/best-engineering-colleges-in-the-south/)