Top Systems Engineering Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the United States
This page ranks the 12 Systems Engineering programs in the United States by the median earnings of Systems Engineering graduates four years after completing. University of Virginia-Main Campus leads the list with median earnings of $144,830 four years after completing.
Across the listed schools, the figures range from $144,830 to $60,126, with a median of $104,384.
Public institutions account for 9 of the 12 programs, while 3 are private nonprofit. Texas A & M International University posts the lowest average net price on the list at $3,637.
Kennesaw State University ranks 24th 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 Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA | $144,830 | $21,565 | $8,174 | 16.8% |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus reports $144,830 in median earnings of Systems Engineering graduates four years after completing, the highest on this list, alongside an admission rate of 17%. | |||||
| 2 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $122,299 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| With an average net price of $6,541, University of Florida posts $122,299 in median earnings for its Systems Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | George Washington University · Washington, DC | $120,976 | $36,586 | $17,440 | 47.1% |
| George Washington University, a private nonprofit university in Washington, shows median federal debt of $20,449 across all of the school's borrowers who completed and program earnings of $120,976. | |||||
| 4 | Washington University in St Louis · St. Louis, MO | $119,297 | $21,786 | $1,716 | 12.1% |
| Washington University in St Louis admits 12% of applicants and its Systems Engineering graduates earn a median of $119,297 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | George Mason University · Fairfax, VA | $114,815 | $17,915 | $11,942 | 87.5% |
| George Mason University ranks 5th on this list and reports median federal debt of $20,500 among Systems Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 6 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $106,805 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports $106,805 in median earnings for its Systems Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $14,355. | |||||
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA | $101,964 | $28,699 | -$3,012* | 5.4% |
| An admission rate of 5% makes University of Pennsylvania the most selective school on the page, and its Systems Engineering graduates earn a median of $101,964 four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | University of Arizona · Tucson, AZ | $100,468 | $16,674 | $13,353 | 86.1% |
| Median federal debt among Systems Engineering completers who borrowed is $18,500 at University of Arizona, which reports program earnings of $100,468 four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Kennesaw State University · Kennesaw, GA | $89,696 | $15,048 | $12,235 | 69.2% |
| Kennesaw State University holds the strongest Azimuth composite rank on this list, 24th among nonprofit four-year institutions, and reports $89,696 in median earnings for its Systems Engineering graduates. | |||||
| 10 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte · Charlotte, NC | $84,648 | $15,435 | $10,357 | 79.6% |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte reports median federal debt of $26,000 among Systems Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside an admission rate of 80%. | |||||
| 11 | Maine Maritime Academy · Castine, ME | $63,749 | $23,414 | $9,511 | 54.1% |
| Maine Maritime Academy reports an average net price of $23,414 and median earnings of $63,749 for its Systems Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | Texas A & M International University · Laredo, TX | $60,126 | $3,637 | $3,097 | 44.4% |
| Texas A & M International University has the lowest average net price on the page at $3,637 and reports median federal debt of $8,800 among Systems Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
* 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 Systems Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. For 2 of the 12 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric captures earnings for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled; it does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost of attendance, or the characteristics of the students a program admits. The range and median below cover the 12 schools with a published figure. University of Virginia-Main Campus leads University of Florida by $22,531, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $84,704.
Job market context in the United States
Systems Engineering graduates in the United States enter occupations such as Industrial Engineers, Engineers, All Other, and related roles. The median annual wage across those occupations is $109,338, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $87,315. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 7.0% higher, with about 6,740 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, not the occupation-wide wage figures shown here.
Related rankings
- Best Engineering Colleges in the United States
- Engineering Colleges for Social Mobility