by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 1,698 people earned their degree in operations research, making the major the 203rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, operations research graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $84,787 and had an average of $14,538 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major” ranking, we looked at 37 colleges that offer a degree in operations research. That schools that top this list have a program in operations research in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The operations research school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major”.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for operations research students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend United States Coast Guard Academy. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major. USCGA is a small public school situated in New London, Connecticut. It awarded 43 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
Full United States Coast Guard Academy Operations Research Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend United States Naval Academy. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major. United States Naval Academy is located in Annapolis, Maryland and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 70 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major. Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management is located in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major. Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 79 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.
Out of the 37 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Naval Postgraduate School landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Monterey, California, and it awarded 170 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
United States Air Force Academy came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. United States Air Force Academy is located in USAF Academy, Colorado and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
United States Military Academy ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. West Point is a small school located in West Point, New York that handed out 32 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 231 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. 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 ranking of #9, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Columbia University in the City of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 399 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Operations Research Report
With a ranking of #10, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 192 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Berkeley Operations Research Report
With a ranking of #11, Southern Methodist University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 43 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Southern Methodist University Operations Research Report
Florida Institute of Technology landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Melbourne, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
Baruch College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 88%.
With a ranking of #14, Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Case Western Reserve University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 23 degrees to qualified ’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
Read full report on Operations Research at Case Western Reserve University
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 50 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Operations Research at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
Rice University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Rice University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 12 ’s operations research 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northeastern University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Northeastern University is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 32 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking, coming in at #19. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s operations research students 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 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
North Carolina State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified ’s operations research students 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full North Carolina State University Operations Research Report
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s operations research degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon University
Kansas State University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. K -State is a large school located in Manhattan, Kansas that handed out 4 ’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Operations Research at Kansas State University
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Utah State University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Utah State University is located in Logan, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 our data sources and methodologies
