by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
General Engineering is the 96th most popular major in the country with 9,018 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,464 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major” ranking, we looked at 199 colleges that offer a degree in general engineering. That schools that top this list have a program in general engineering in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree engineering students.
Out of the 199 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Olin College landed the #1 spot on the list. Olin College is located in Needham, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvey Mudd College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major. Harvey Mudd College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Geneva College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major. Geneva College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Calvin University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 85 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Engineering at Calvin University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elizabethtown College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major. Etown is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 38 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Engineering at Elizabethtown College
Hope College ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Hope is a small school located in Holland, Michigan that handed out 53 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Messiah University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #7. Messiah University is located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on General Engineering at Messiah University
Ottawa University - Ottawa did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Ottawa, Kansas, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about General Engineering at Ottawa University - Ottawa
Swarthmore College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Swarthmore is a private not-for-profit institution located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Saint Augustine’s University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. This small school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
McNeese State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, this medium-sized public school handed out 63 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Saint Vincent College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Saint Vincent is a private not-for-profit institution located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on General Engineering at Saint Vincent College
Mercer University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Mercer University is a medium-sized school located in Macon, Georgia that handed out 116 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of North Carolina at Asheville came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. UNCA is a small public school situated in Asheville, North Carolina. It awarded 28 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Olivet Nazarene University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Olivet Nazarene is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 48 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. University of Maryland Eastern Shore is located in Princess Anne, Maryland and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Oral Roberts University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Trinity College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Trinity College is located in Hartford, Connecticut and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Fort Lewis College ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. This small school is located in Durango, Colorado, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Oglethorpe University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Lafayette College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Located in Easton, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, Loyola University Maryland did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Loyola Maryland is a medium-sized school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 42 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
College of the Ozarks came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Hard Work U is a small school located in Point Lookout, Missouri that handed out 9 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at College of the Ozarks
With a ranking of #24, Cornell College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Cornell College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Vernon, Iowa. It awarded 8 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Brown University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 70 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Not only did these schools make the top 30 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
