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. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 11,796 people earned their degree in general engineering, making the major the 79th most popular in the United States. 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.
Across the Southeast region, there were 2,586 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,738 and $21,037 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region” ranking, we looked at 135 colleges that offer a degree in general engineering. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in general engineering.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region engineering students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Virginia Community College. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region. Northern Virginia Community College is a public institution located in Annandale, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 205 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Northern Virginia Community College General Engineering Report
Out of the 135 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #2 spot on the list. UAB is located in Birmingham, Alabama and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 143 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wake Technical Community College. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region. Wake Technical Community College is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 133 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at Wake Technical Community College
Out of the 135 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Perkinston, Mississippi, this medium-sized public school handed out 122 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Out of the 135 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Mercer University landed the #5 spot on the list. Mercer University is located in Macon, Georgia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 116 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 ranking of #6, Old Dominion University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. Old Dominion University is located in Norfolk, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 113 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
University of Arkansas ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, this large public school handed out 106 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #8, East Carolina University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. ECU is a large public school situated in Greenville, North Carolina. It awarded 102 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #9, Tidewater Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.
James Madison University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. JMU is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 76 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Alabama in Huntsville ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Huntsville, Alabama, and it awarded 76 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Engineering at University of Alabama in Huntsville
With a ranking of #12, McNeese State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and it awarded 70 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Engineering at McNeese State University
North Carolina State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This large school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 52 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Full North Carolina State University General Engineering Report
Central Piedmont Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Central Piedmont Community College is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Full Central Piedmont Community College General Engineering Report
With a ranking of #15, Wake Forest University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that handed out 42 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
West Virginia University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. WVU is a public institution located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at West Virginia University
With a ranking of #17, Mississippi State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. Mississippi State is located in Mississippi State, Mississippi and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about General Engineering at Mississippi State University
Louisiana Tech University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Ruston, Louisiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.
Marshall University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Marshall University is located in Huntington, West Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on General Engineering at Marshall University
Western Carolina University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region ranking. WCU is a fairly large public school situated in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It awarded 29 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
University of North Carolina at Asheville came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Asheville, North Carolina, this small public school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #22, Thomas Nelson Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Hampton, Virginia, and it awarded 27 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, Chattanooga State Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region list. Chattanooga State Community College is a public institution located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Chattanooga State Community College General Engineering Report
University of Louisiana at Lafayette landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region ranking. University of Louisiana at Lafayette is a public institution located in Lafayette, Louisiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Engineering at University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Georgia did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #25. UGA is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of Georgia
Itawamba Community College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Fulton, Mississippi is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Engineering at Itawamba Community College
The University of Tennessee - Martin landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in the Southeast Region ranking. UT Martin is a public institution located in Martin, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Engineering at The University of Tennessee - Martin
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
