Nuclear Engineering Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the United States
This page ranks the 12 Nuclear Engineering programs in the United States by the median earnings of Nuclear Engineering graduates four years after completing. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign leads the list with median earnings of $116,047 four years after completing, while the median across the listed schools sits at $96,752. Figures range from $116,047 down to $59,124, a spread of $56,923.
Public institutions dominate the list, accounting for 11 of the 12 programs, with a single private nonprofit school rounding out the group. University of Florida posts the lowest average net price at $6,541.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 16th 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 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $116,047 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports median earnings of $116,047 for its Nuclear Engineering graduates four years after completing, the highest on this list. | |||||
| 2 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA | $114,772 | $12,116 | $7,666 | 14.1% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus admits 14% of applicants and its Nuclear Engineering graduates earn a median of $114,772 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Texas A&M University-College Station · College Station, TX | $103,438 | $21,315 | $12,784 | 57.4% |
| Texas A&M University-College Station ranks 25th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows a median of $103,438 for its Nuclear Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI | $102,449 | $17,354 | $4,200 | 45.2% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at University of Wisconsin-Madison left with a median of $20,484 in federal loans, while its Nuclear Engineering graduates earned a median of $102,449 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $100,212 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh posts median earnings of $100,212 for its Nuclear Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $17,303. | |||||
| 6 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville · Knoxville, TN | $99,139 | $18,976 | $10,029 | 41.6% |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville reports median federal debt of $22,500 among Nuclear Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $99,139 four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | $94,365 | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus ranks 7th on this list and its Nuclear Engineering graduates earn a median of $94,365 four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $94,330 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor holds an admission rate of 16% and its Nuclear Engineering graduates report median earnings of $94,330 four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Oregon State University · Corvallis, OR | $94,105 | $19,604 | $12,107 | 77.3% |
| Oregon State University admits 77% of applicants and its Nuclear Engineering graduates earn a median of $94,105 four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | Missouri University of Science and Technology · Rolla, MO | $89,929 | $16,298 | $10,912 | 72.6% |
| Missouri University of Science and Technology reports median earnings of $89,929 for its Nuclear Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $16,298. | |||||
| 11 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY | $87,239 | $36,228 | $24,078 | 63.5% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a private nonprofit university in Troy, shows median earnings of $87,239 for its Nuclear Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $59,124 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| University of Florida reports the lowest average net price on the page at $6,541, and its Nuclear Engineering graduates earn 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 United States appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 1 of the 12 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 12 schools with a published figure. The gap between first-ranked University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and second-ranked Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is $1,275, while the spread from top to bottom reaches $56,923.
Job market context in the United States
Nuclear Engineering graduates in the United States enter occupations such as Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary, Nuclear Engineers, and related technical roles. The median annual wage across those occupations is $110,937; a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $82,759, a figure closer to what a graduate might see four years after completing. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 4.3% higher, with about 4,850 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 the median earnings of graduates from each listed program, a different measure from the occupation-wide wages described here.
Related rankings
- Best Engineering Colleges in the United States
- Engineering Colleges for Social Mobility