Top General Engineering Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the United States
This page ranks the 56 General Engineering programs in the United States by the median earnings of General Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Franklin W Olin College of Engineering leads the list with median earnings of $135,136 four years after completing.
Across the 40 programs with a published figure, earnings range from $135,136 to $44,356, with a median of $87,280. For 1 of the 56 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
The list is evenly split between 28 public and 28 private nonprofit institutions. College of Staten Island CUNY posts the lowest average net price at $5,579, while University of California-San Diego ranks 1st 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 | 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, alongside a median federal debt of $14,512 among General Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 2 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $128,207 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| Cornell University admits 9% of applicants and carries an average net price of $1,776 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 3 | Harvey Mudd College · Claremont, CA | $122,845 | $35,924 | $27,979 | 12.7% |
| Harvey Mudd College posts median earnings of $122,845 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing and ranks 225th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 4 | Stanford University · Stanford, CA | No published median | $13,807 | -$2,536* | 3.6% |
| Stanford University ranks 4th on this list, with an admission rate of 4% and an average net price of $13,807. | |||||
| 5 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $114,228 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis shows median earnings of $114,228 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, and an average net price of $9,211 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 6 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | No published median | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
| Northeastern University carries a median federal debt of $22,525 among General Engineering completers who borrowed, and an average net price of $2,264 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 7 | Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA | $110,208 | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
| Carnegie Mellon University reports median earnings of $110,208 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, and a school-wide median federal debt of $21,750 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 8 | Brown University · Providence, RI | $108,550 | $25,184 | -$420* | 5.4% |
| Brown University ranks 8th on this list, with an admission rate of 5% and median earnings of $108,550 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | McNeese State University · Lake Charles, LA | $107,319 | $12,493 | $10,482 | 78.3% |
| McNeese State University posts median earnings of $107,319 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $12,493. | |||||
| 10 | Louisiana Tech University · Ruston, LA | No published median | $11,864 | $7,676 | 86.4% |
| Louisiana Tech University ranks 428th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and carries a school-wide median federal debt of $22,135 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 11 | Lafayette College · Easton, PA | $104,222 | $34,433 | $12,716 | 31.5% |
| Lafayette College reports median earnings of $104,222 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, and an average net price of $12,716 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 12 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | No published median | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| California State University-Chico ranks 12th on this list, with an admission rate of 93% and a median federal debt of $22,500 among General Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 13 | Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI | $102,301 | $19,680 | $7,068 | 84.8% |
| Michigan State University reports median earnings of $102,301 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $19,680. | |||||
| 14 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | No published median | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus ranks 14th on this list and shows an admission rate of 61%, with median federal debt of $25,500 among General Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 15 | University of Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA | $101,078 | $21,565 | $8,174 | 16.8% |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus admits 17% of applicants and carries a school-wide median federal debt of $17,500 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 16 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $99,838 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh posts median earnings of $99,838 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $6,382 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 17 | Stevens Institute of Technology · Hoboken, NJ | No published median | $41,346 | $27,221 | 47.6% |
| Stevens Institute of Technology, a private nonprofit university in Hoboken, ranks 17th on this list and has an average net price of $41,346. | |||||
| 18 | Frostburg State University · Frostburg, MD | $99,671 | $16,715 | $12,129 | 89.2% |
| Frostburg State University reports median earnings of $99,671 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, with median federal debt of $18,500 among General Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 19 | Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH | No published median | $17,339 | $4,885 | 60.6% |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus ranks 19th on this list and shows an average net price of $4,885 for families earning under $30,000, alongside median federal debt of $21,750 among General Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 20 | Wentworth Institute of Technology · Boston, MA | $96,695 | $34,170 | $27,018 | 91.2% |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology posts median earnings of $96,695 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 91%. | |||||
| 21 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ | $94,332 | $14,967 | $9,070 | 89.9% |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion ranks 21st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $94,332 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | Oregon State University · Corvallis, OR | No published median | $19,604 | $12,107 | 77.3% |
| Oregon State University ranks 22nd on this list and shows an average net price of $12,107 for families earning under $30,000, with median federal debt of $28,067 among General Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 23 | Texas Christian University · Fort Worth, TX | $93,753 | $36,660 | $17,956 | 44.5% |
| Texas Christian University reports median earnings of $93,753 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $36,660. | |||||
| 24 | University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD | No published median | $15,678 | $2,962 | 44.8% |
| University of Maryland-College Park ranks 24th on this list and shows an admission rate of 45%, with an average net price of $2,962 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 25 | James Madison University · Harrisonburg, VA | $91,761 | $23,322 | $11,444 | 71.5% |
| James Madison University reports median earnings of $91,761 for its General Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $23,322. | |||||
* 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 United States appear. The figure covers federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 1 of the 56 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 40 schools with a published figure. Franklin W Olin College of Engineering reports $135,136, and the gap to second-ranked Cornell University is $6,929.
Job market context in the United States
The Bureau of Labor Statistics links General Engineering to occupations such as Engineers, All Other and Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. The median annual wage across those occupations is $117,352, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $87,630. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 3.6% higher, with about 27,900 openings a year. That works out to about 1,032 openings a year for every hundred graduates, which is 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 occupations, and the two are not the same measure.
Related rankings
- Best Engineering Colleges in the United States
- Engineering Colleges for Social Mobility