1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Franklin W Olin College of Engineering MA · Small private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #202 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/admissions/)[Majors](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/similar/) ## [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Franklin W Olin College of Engineering #202 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. ### Who it’s a good fit for Franklin W Olin College of Engineering is a private nonprofit university built around a single field: nearly every degree awarded is in Engineering. The fit is narrow by design, and the strongest signal is return, which is among the highest we track. Graduates earn well above the median at comparable institutions, and most are estimated to go straight into the workforce rather than on to graduate study. The published cost is high, but the lowest income band pays far less than the sticker price, while the highest band pays a fraction of it. Borrowers who finish carry less federal debt than the median at comparable institutions. Access is below the levels seen at many peers, so the financial case depends heavily on the aid package a family receives. The admission rate is well below the median for comparable institutions. A student who wants a broad menu of majors or a large campus will not find it here. ## Franklin W Olin College of Engineering at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 25.2% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 96.4% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $126,895 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $9,528 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $19,500 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** Not reported ## Franklin W Olin College of Engineering rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Franklin W Olin College of Engineering, a private nonprofit university in Needham, Massachusetts, enrolls 377 undergraduates. It sits in the upper sixth of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (composite at the 86th percentile). The college admits 25.2% of those who apply, compared with a median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Retention runs well above the peer median: 98.0% of full-time first-year students return after the first year, against 74.2% at comparable institutions. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for the first-time full-time cohort is 96.4%, well above the peer median of 54.9%. An estimated 8.8% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so that completion figure describes most of the student body. At Franklin W Olin College of Engineering, the four pillars sit far apart. Return is the strongest, at the 98th percentile, and access is the weakest, at the 9th percentile. Mobility and affordability fall between them, at the 61st and 44th percentiles respectively. Azimuth places return in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, the strongest of the four. Access, at the 9th percentile, is the weakest. Mobility and affordability fall in between, at the 61st and 44th percentiles. The profile is one of very high earnings alongside an access pillar that sits much lower. [How value-added outcomes are assessed](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) · [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Franklin W Olin College of Engineering rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #202 | | [Massachusetts](/rankings/best-colleges-in-massachusetts/) | #11 | | [Northeast](/rankings/best-colleges-in-the-northeast/) | #47 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 61 **Access & reach** National percentile: 9 **[Affordability](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/cost/)** National percentile: 44 **[Return on investment](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/outcomes/)** National percentile: 98 ### Top-ranked majors 1. Engineering, General**#1** This school’s highest-ranked program nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ. [Explore major rankings](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/majors/#major-rankings) 01 / Franklin W Olin College of Engineering briefing ## [Franklin W Olin College of Engineering cost & financial aid](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) The published cost of attendance at Franklin W Olin College of Engineering is $86,474 (an average). Tuition and fees are $66,398, and room and board are $20,810. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 71% of that sticker price, an offset of $61,303. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) (cost after aid) is $25,171. That net price is $2,824 above the $22,347 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #793 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The published cost of attendance at Franklin W Olin College of Engineering is $86,474 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #793 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, varies by family income. For those earning $30,001 to $48,000, it is $3,100. In the middle band, from $48,001 to $75,000, it is $9,528. For families earning $75,001 to $110,000, the average is $12,271, and for those earning over $110,000, it is $27,096. Aid covers about 71% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $61,303. The average net price across all aid recipients is $25,171, which is $2,824 above the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,500 in federal student loans. That is $5,500 below the $25,000 peer median. If repaid over ten years, that median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month. It estimates your net price and potential debt at Franklin W Olin College of Engineering based on your family's income and assets. Your family income Choose a household income range to see estimated net price. $0–30K$30–48K$48–75K$75–110K$110K+ Reported average annual net price · $48–75K**$9,528** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Borrowers who complete a degree at Franklin W Olin College of Engineering leave with a median of $19,500 in federal student loans. That median is $5,500 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $126,895. That figure sits in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median is $70,980 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a typical figure that matches the observed median. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,500 in federal loans, $5,500 below the median for comparable institutions. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years. [How Financial GPS measures payment burden](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) · [The four risk-and-reward zones](/analysis/4-zones-of-college-risk-and-reward/) Financial GPS ### What does repayment look like? **Institution median student debt** $19,500 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** No federal loan data Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $222/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** No federal loan data Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s. Payment assumptions Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. [Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/cost/) 02 / Franklin W Olin College of Engineering briefing ## [Franklin W Olin College of Engineering career outcomes & earnings](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Franklin W Olin College of Engineering delivers strong earnings outcomes for its graduates. Azimuth places the return pillar for Franklin W Olin College of Engineering in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $126,895. That is $70,980 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and the earnings figure sits in the 99th percentile. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $126,895. That result comes from a cohort of 58 completers. The median sits $70,980 above the $55,915 level for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that lands in the 99th percentile. Based on the program mix, an estimated 25.0% of graduates continue to graduate study. This is a broad institutional measure rather than a program-specific result. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $126,895. That figure sits at the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. This median is $70,980 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among nonprofit four-year institutions, [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Franklin W Olin College of Engineering #23 for return. Degrees are awarded in Engineering. An estimated 25.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. These are earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates. The sole program with published earnings data is Engineering, where graduates earn a median of $135,136 four years after completion, from 38 degrees awarded a year. The published cost of attendance is $86,474, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $66,398, and room and board are $20,810. Aid covers about 71% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, though this is an average rather than a personal quote. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,171. That is $2,824 above the peer median of $22,347, the median among comparable institutions. For families earning $30,001 to $48,000, the average net price drops to $3,100; for those earning $48,001 to $75,000, it is $9,528; for the $75,001 to $110,000 band, $12,271; and for families earning over $110,000, $27,096. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,500 in federal student loans, $5,500 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month. [Read the full outcomes brief](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/outcomes/) 03 / Franklin W Olin College of Engineering briefing ## [Franklin W Olin College of Engineering acceptance rate & admissions](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) Franklin W Olin College of Engineering admits 25.2% of applicants, a rate that sits well below the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). SAT: approximate enrolled-student range **Admission rate** 25.2% **Approximate lower endpoint** 1493 **Reported average** 1520 **Approximate upper endpoint** 1558 Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters. [Read the full admissions brief](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/admissions/) 04 / Franklin W Olin College of Engineering briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Franklin W Olin College of Engineering?](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) Franklin W Olin College of Engineering awards degrees in a single field. Engineering accounts for 100.0% of bachelor's degrees awarded. The sole ranked program, Engineering, awarded 38 degrees in the most recent year. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #1 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field, and graduates earn a median of $135,136 four years after completion. That figure is 1.51x the national median for the field. A student considering Franklin W Olin College of Engineering is choosing a single program family with earnings at the very top of its discipline. Franklin W Olin College of Engineering is an engineering school through and through: every bachelor's degree it awards is in Engineering. The single program, Engineering, awarded 38 degrees in the most recent year. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #1 nationally within its field, and #1 in Massachusetts. A student considering Franklin W Olin College of Engineering is choosing a single field of study with outcomes at the very top of the national distribution for that field. Franklin W Olin College of Engineering is an institution built around a single field: Engineering accounts for 100.0% of bachelor's degrees awarded. The largest program, Engineering, awards 38 degrees a year. Azimuth gives a national rank to 1 program, and four-year earnings are published for 1 program. Engineering graduates earn $135,136 four years after completion. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the program #1 in Massachusetts within its field. The program carries a benchmark ratio of 1.51x against the national median for its field. All ranked output and every published earnings figure at the college comes from this single program. The institution's return picture coincides with the performance of one discipline alone. Four-year earnings in this field commonly understate later trajectories for graduates who continue on to advanced study. The median captures completers at a point when some may still be in graduate school rather than the workforce. A student choosing this college is choosing one field of study exclusively. The curricular strength is concentrated rather than spread across multiple departments. That concentration defines the entire academic offering at the college today. Four-year earnings · three largest reported fields **Engineering, General 38 degrees awarded** $135,136 **Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 19 degrees awarded** Too few graduates to report **Mechanical Engineering 15 degrees awarded** Too few graduates to report Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings. [Read the full majors brief](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/majors/) 05 / Franklin W Olin College of Engineering briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Franklin W Olin College of Engineering?](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/similar/)[\[15\]](#hub-data-note-peers) Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. [How matching works](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Franklin W Olin College of Engineering. Admissions peerSmith College21.0% admitted+ Comparison with Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Measure | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Smith College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $126,895 | $57,618\-$69,277 vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | | Average annual net price | $25,171 | $27,579+$2,408 vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering · higher cost | | Admission rate | 25.2% | 21.0% | Higher-admission alternativeBentley University45.1% admitted+ Comparison with Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Measure | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Bentley University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $126,895 | $108,577\-$18,318 vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | | Average annual net price | $25,171 | $37,930+$12,759 vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering · higher cost | | Admission rate | 25.2% | 45.1% | [Explore Bentley University →](/school/bentley-university/) Nearby alternativeWorcester Polytechnic InstituteNearby option · MA+ Comparison with Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Measure | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $126,895 | $105,724\-$21,171 vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | | Average annual net price | $25,171 | $43,071+$17,900 vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering · higher cost | | Admission rate | 25.2% | 60.2% | [Explore Worcester Polytechnic Institute →](/school/worcester-polytechnic-institute/) Lower-cost alternativeHarvard University$19,066 average net price+ Comparison with Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Measure | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Harvard University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $126,895 | $134,794+$7,899 vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | | Average annual net price | $25,171 | $19,066\-$6,105 vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering · lower cost | | Admission rate | 25.2% | 3.7% | [Explore Harvard University →](/school/harvard-university/) Similar profileAlbany College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Measure | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $126,895 | $113,282\-$13,613 vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | | Average annual net price | $25,171 | $29,882+$4,711 vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering · higher cost | | Admission rate | 25.2% | 52.7% | [Explore Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences →](/school/albany-college-of-pharmacy-and-health-sciences/) Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable. [Read the full similar schools brief](/school/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering/similar/) ## Data scope & methodology Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026 · Governed hub narrative September 29, 2026 · Governed spoke corpus September 29, 2026 Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection. Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them. Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects. Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. [Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations](/methodology/) · [About College Azimuth](/about/) Read the analysis behind [value-added earnings](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the [change to four-year graduate earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com. ## Data notes & source fields Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the [U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf); notes with a different source link it below. 1. **Admission rate.** Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability. Source fields: `ADM_RATE` 2. **Six-year completion.** First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree. Source fields: `C150_4` 3. **Four-year institutional earnings.** Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion. Source fields: `MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` 4. **Median federal student debt.** Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students. Source fields: `GRAD_DEBT_MDN` 5. **National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks.** Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ. Source fields: `Azimuth rankings` [College Azimuth · Ranking methodology](/methodology/) 6. **Annual net price by family income.** Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers. Source fields: `NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV` 7. **Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration.** Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations. Source fields: `PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations` [College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) 8. **Downside and upside earnings; yellow band.** The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median. Source fields: `Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios` [College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) 9. **Value added and its components.** Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. Source fields: `Azimuth statistical model` [College Azimuth · Value-added methodology](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 10. **SAT score range and reported midpoint.** Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range. Source fields: `SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG` 11. **First-year retention.** Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions. Source fields: `RET_FT4` 12. **Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots.** Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity. Source fields: `EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE` [College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/FieldOfStudyDataDocumentation.pdf) 13. **Pell recipients.** Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year. Source fields: `PCTPELL` 14. **Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group.** This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns. Source fields: `1 − PFTFTUG1_EF` 15. **Peer earnings and signed differences.** Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure. Source fields: `Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` [College Azimuth · Comparison methodology](/methodology/) [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)