The Top 10 Engineering Colleges

Ranking colleges is a controversial process. Multiple factors must be considered, many of which are subjective or not easily quantifiable. So, how do you rank a college for its engineering department? On the strength of its graduate program? Or for the average SAT scores of incoming freshman? Maybe on its reputation among educators and businesses? With so many ways to measure a program, it’s easy to see why ranking the top engineering colleges must be taken with a speck of skepticism.

Nevertheless, humans being humans, we love to rank and sort. The following list of top 10 engineering colleges is derived from several of the most popular ranking lists out there, including the U. S. News & World Reports list, which is the Big Daddy of college rankings. Because positions within the top 10 are constantly shifting — and also because the differences in quality among the schools are debatable — the list below is not ordered according to rank. The top three schools on this list, however, are almost always listed in first, second, or third place on most lists.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, across the Charles River from Boston. A private institution, it’s one of the most prestigious science education institutions in the world. Very tough to get into: 9.7% admission rate.

Stanford University

Stanford is about 30 minutes south of San Francisco, California. A world-renowned private institution, Stanford offers incoming students all the benefits of a liberal arts education as well as rigorous science programs and research facilities.

University of California, Berkeley

The University of California at Berkeley is located across the bay from the city of San Francisco. “Cal,” as it’s affectionately called by students and alumni, consistently ranks as the #1 public university in the country.

California Institute of Technology

Also known as Caltech, this private institution is located in Pasadena, California, just north of Los Angeles. Small for an institute of higher learning, it has only a little over 2,000 students enrolled.