by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
General Engineering is the 79th most popular major in the country with 11,796 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,873 and had an average of $20,557 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major” ranking looked at 716 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general engineering. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in general engineering.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major”.
Out of the 716 schools in the Schools 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 a small school located in Needham, Massachusetts that handed out 33 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
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 Highly Focused on Engineering Major. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Out of the 716 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Geneva College landed the #3 spot on the list. Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Maritime Academy. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Maritime is a small public school situated in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. It awarded 60 ’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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Engineering at Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Out of the 716 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of New Mexico - Los Alamos Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Los Alamos, New Mexico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of New Mexico - Los Alamos Campus
Itasca Community College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #6. Itasca Community College is a public institution located in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Engineering at Itasca Community College
Oklahoma Christian University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #7. OC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
Read more about General Engineering at Oklahoma Christian University
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute is a small school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 7 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
Calvin University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Calvin is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 85 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
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.
Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #10. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Hanover, New Hampshire. It awarded 153 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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.
With a ranking of #11, Elizabethtown College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Elizabethtown College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 38 ’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%.
With a ranking of #12, Hope College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Hope College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Holland, Michigan. It awarded 53 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #13, Messiah University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 55 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
United Tribes Technical College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. United Tribes Technical College is located in Bismarck, North Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full United Tribes Technical College General Engineering Report
With a ranking of #15, Ottawa University - Ottawa did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Ottawa is located in Ottawa, Kansas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Montana Technological University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Montana Tech is located in Butte, Montana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on General Engineering at Montana Technological University
McNeese State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #17. This medium-sized school is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and it awarded 70 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Swarthmore College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Swarthmore is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. It awarded 23 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Brown University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #19. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 142 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Saint Augustine’s University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #20. SAU is a small school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 5 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at Saint Augustine’s University
With a ranking of #21, Saint Vincent College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Union County College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Union County College is located in Cranford, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 75 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on General Engineering at Union County College
Mercer University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking. Mercer is a private not-for-profit institution located in Macon, Georgia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 116 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on General Engineering at Mercer University
With a ranking of #24, Potomac State College of West Virginia University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major list. Located in Keyser, West Virginia, this small public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at WVU Potomac State College
Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #25. This small school is located in Big Spring, Texas, and it awarded 1 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Lafayette College | Easton, PA |
| 52 | Bristol Community College | Fall River, MA |
| 53 | Loyola University Maryland | Baltimore, MD |
| 54 | College of the Ozarks | Point Lookout, MO |
| 55 | Kalamazoo Valley Community College | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 56 | Northwest College | Powell, WY |
| 57 | Tidewater Community College | Norfolk, VA |
| 58 | University of Wisconsin - Platteville | Platteville, WI |
| 59 | Cornell College | Mount Vernon, IA |
| 60 | Bay de Noc Community College | Escanaba, MI |
| 61 | Thomas Nelson Community College | Hampton, VA |
| 62 | Snow College | Ephraim, UT |
| 63 | Tulsa Community College | Tulsa, OK |
| 64 | Springfield Technical Community College | Springfield, MA |
| 65 | Northern Virginia Community College | Annandale, VA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | Clackamas Community College | Oregon City, OR |
| 92 | Frostburg State University | Frostburg, MD |
| 93 | University of Colorado at Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs, CO |
| 94 | Harford Community College | Bel Air, MD |
| 95 | Southwestern Michigan College | Dowagiac, MI |
| 96 | Parkland College | Champaign, IL |
| 97 | Itawamba Community College | Fulton, MS |
| 98 | Taylor University | Upland, IN |
| 99 | Chattanooga State Community College | Chattanooga, TN |
| 100 | City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College | Chicago, IL |
| 101 | Onondaga Community College | Syracuse, NY |
| 102 | Western Texas College | Snyder, TX |
| 103 | Moberly Area Community College | Moberly, MO |
| 104 | Louisiana Tech University | Ruston, LA |
| 105 | Massasoit Community College | Brockton, MA |
| 106 | St Charles Community College | Cottleville, MO |
| 107 | Muskingum University | New Concord, OH |
| 108 | Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, IN |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
