Best Nuclear Engineering Programs in the South (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the South
Regional list from Nuclear Engineering Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 5 Nuclear Engineering programs in the South by median earnings of Nuclear Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus leads the list at $114,772, followed by Texas A&M University-College Station at $103,438 and North Carolina State University at Raleigh at $100,212.
Across the list, reported medians range from $114,772 to $59,124, with a median of $100,212. For 1 of the 5 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
All 5 programs are at 100% public institutions. Texas A&M University-College Station ranks 25th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
University of Florida posts the lowest average net price on the page, at $6,541, and also the highest admission rate, admitting 57% of applicants.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA | $114,772 | $12,116 | $7,666 | 14.1% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $114,772 for its Nuclear Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station · College Station, TX | $103,438 | $21,315 | $12,784 | 57.4% |
| Texas A&M University-College Station reports median federal debt of $18,471 among Nuclear Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside earnings of $103,438 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $100,212 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh posts an average net price of $17,303, and its Nuclear Engineering graduates earned a median of $100,212 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville · Knoxville, TN | $99,139 | $18,976 | $10,029 | 41.6% |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville admits 42% of applicants and reports median earnings of $99,139 for its Nuclear Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $59,124 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| University of Florida carries an average net price of $6,541, the lowest on the page, and its Nuclear Engineering graduates earned a median of $59,124 four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Nuclear Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the South appear. The figures are medians for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 1 of the 5 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 5 schools with a published figure. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus leads Texas A&M University-College Station by a gap of $11,334, and the spread from top to bottom is $55,648.
Job market context in the South
Nuclear Engineering graduates in the South enter occupations such as Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary and Nuclear Engineers. The median annual wage across those occupations is $119,015; a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $85,476. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 8.7% higher, with 6,520 projected openings a year and more projected openings than graduates. 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.