Top Engineering Schools in the U.S.

California Institute of Technology

Located in Pasadena, California, The California Institute of Technology frequently competes with MIT for the top spot on rankings of engineering schools. With under 1,000 undergraduates, Caltech is by far the smallest college on this list, and you will most likely get to know your professors and classmates better than you would at a place like UIUC. The institute has an impressive 3 to 1 student/faculty ratio, a statistic that translates into lots of research opportunities for students. One other perk is the school's location near Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean.

You're going to need to be an extremely strong student to get admitted. The Caltech admissions process is highly selective with a single digit acceptance rate and SAT/ACT scores that tend to be in the top 1%.

Carnegie Mellon University

If you're not 100% sure that engineering is for you, then Carnegie Mellon University could be a great choice. The university is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, near Duquesne University. Carnegie Mellon is certainly well known for its impressive science and engineering programs, but CMU is a comprehensive university with strengths in areas such as art and business as well. Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and chemical engineering are among the most popular majors at the university.

Like all the schools on this list, the Carnegie Mellon admissions process is demanding and admitted students tend to have combined SAT scores well above 1400, and fewer than one out of five applicants will get in.

Cornell University

Cornell University (arguably) has the strongest engineering programs of the eight Ivy League schools. Agricultural engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and information engineering are all extremely popular. And students who aren't looking for an urban location will appreciate Cornell's beautiful campus overlooking Lake Cayuga in Ithaca, New York. Ithaca College sits across the valley from Cornell.

As would be expected with an Ivy League school, admission to Cornell University is extremely selective. Only one out of nine applicants gets in, and SAT scores over 1400 are typical.

Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Tech has strengths that go beyond engineering, and the school ranks among the top public universities in the United States. Top-notch academic programs combined with state tuition make the school an impressive value, and city lovers will like the 400-acre urban campus in Atlanta, Georgia. As an additional perk for sports lovers, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets compete in the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference.

Georgia Tech admissions are highly selective. Like other schools on this list, far more students are rejected than admitted, and you'll want to have a combined SAT score over 1400 or an ACT composite score over 30.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology typically ranks #1 among the nation's engineering schools, and some organizations rank it as the top university in the world. The institute is a research powerhouse with more graduate students than undergraduates, so undergrads will find plenty of opportunities to help out in the lab. The long and narrow MIT campus stretches along the Charles River and overlooks the Boston skyline. Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern, and many other colleges are within walking distance.

Getting in is challenging. The MIT admissions process has a single-digit acceptance rate, and an 800 math score on the SAT is typical.

Purdue University, West Lafayette Campus

As the main campus of the Purdue University System in Indiana, Purdue University in West Lafayette is a city unto itself. The school is the home to roughly 40,000 students and offers undergraduates over 200 academic programs. For in-state applicants, Purdue represents an exceptional value (the tuition mark-up for out-of-state is pretty steep). The campus sits about 125 miles from Chicago and 65 miles from Indianapolis. Like several schools on this list, Purdue has a NCAA Division I athletics program. The Boilermakers compete in the Big Ten Athletic Conference.

A quick glance at Purdue admissions reveals that the school is easier to get into than others on this list, but keep in mind that engineering is more selective than the university as a whole.

Stanford University

Stanford University is another excellent choice for students who aren't 100% sure about majoring in engineering. Along with top engineering programs, Stanford's programs in the sciences, social sciences and humanities are all hard to beat. The big challenge will be getting in—Stanford admissions rival Harvard for selectivity, and only about one out of every twenty applicants will receive an acceptance letter. Stanford has a single-digit acceptance rate. The attractive Stanford campus near Palo Alto features Spanish architecture and a lot less snow (none) than many schools on this list.

University of California at Berkeley

Arguably the best public university in the United States, UC Berkeley has impressive strengths across the disciplines. In engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering are the most popular. Berkeley's vibrant campus is located in the San Francisco Bay area, and the school is well known for its liberal and activist personality. In athletics, the Berkeley Golden Bears compete in the NCAA Division I Pac 12 Conference.

Admission to Berkeley is highly selective, and engineering is more selective than the university as a whole.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

UIUC, the flagship campus of the University of Illinois, frequently ranks among the top public universities in the country, and its engineering programs are exceptionally strong. The university graduates over 1,800 engineers annually.

With nearly 50,000 students (34,000 of them undergraduates), the university is not for the student looking for an intimate college environment. The school's size and reputation, however, come with many perks such as an attractive campus, more than 150 different majors, a massive and impressive library, and numerous strong research programs. Also, unlike many schools on this list, UIUC has a thriving Division I athletics program. The Fighting Illini compete in the Big Ten Conference.

When you look at UIUC admissions statistics, keep in mind that engineering is more selective than the university as a whole. An SAT math score over 700 is typical for engineers.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Like several of the universities on this list, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor has strengths that go well beyond engineering. With over 42,000 students and 200 majors, the university provides students with lots of academic options. That said, engineering specialties in aero/astro, biomedical, chemical, electrical, industrial, and mechanical are all quite popular.

University of Michigan admissions are highly selective, and about a quarter of admitted students had a 4.0 high school GPA. On the athletic front, the Michigan Wolverines compete in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference.