by our College Data Analytics Team
[Systems Engineering](/majors/engineering/systems-engineering/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The schools below stand out for the salaries their systems engineering graduates go on to command.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the early-career earnings of their systems engineering graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send systems engineering graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Johns Hopkins University tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying systems engineering schools in the Middle Atlantic Region. Set in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career systems engineering graduates from Johns Hopkins University make a median of around $155,023 per year.
A rank of #2 makes George Washington University one of the highest-paying schools for systems engineering. Set in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, systems engineering degree recipients from George Washington University typically earn about $146,616 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in systems engineering will find them at Cornell University, which ranked #3. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca. Students who complete the systems engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $143,008.
Students chasing top earnings in systems engineering will find them at Stevens Institute Of Technology, which ranked #4. Stevens Institute Of Technology is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Hoboken. After graduating, systems engineering degree recipients from Stevens Institute Of Technology typically earn about $132,094 annually.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries systems engineering graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 4 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.