by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 3,904 people earned their degree in systems engineering, making the major the 160th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, systems engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $89,736 and had an average of $21,799 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major” ranking looked at 96 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in systems engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular systems engineering programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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 “Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major”.
Out of the 96 schools in the Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Naval Postgraduate School landed the #1 spot on the list. Naval Postgraduate School is a small school located in Monterey, California that handed out 453 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Systems Engineering at Naval Postgraduate School
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 285 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 208 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Systems Engineering Report
Out of the 96 schools in the Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Johns Hopkins University landed the #4 spot on the list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s systems engineering degrees to 206 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University
Out of the 96 schools in the Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school awarded 167 degrees to qualified ’s systems engineering students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read full report on Systems Engineering at University of Virginia
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and it awarded 126 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide Systems Engineering Report
With a ranking of #7, George Washington University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. GWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 122 ’s degrees in 2020-2021. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Full George Washington University Systems Engineering Report Stevens Institute of Technology came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking. Located in Hoboken, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 275 diplomas to qualified ’s systems engineering students in 2020-2021. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a ranking of #9, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 93 degrees to qualified ’s systems engineering students in 2020-2021. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. With a ranking of #10, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 89 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Systems Engineering Report7
8
9
#13
overall quality in United States$65,907
Average Early-Career Earnings$15,079
Average Student Debt10
#25
overall quality in United States$58,051
Average Early-Career Earnings$18,410
Average Student Debt
With a ranking of #11, Northeastern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. Northeastern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 84 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Systems Engineering at Northeastern University
University of Pennsylvania landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 81 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021. 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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 77 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%. University of Arizona landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Read more about Systems Engineering at University of Arizona Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #15. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Read more about Systems Engineering at Washington University in St Louis12
#4
overall quality in United States$81,207
Average Early-Career Earnings$16,483
Average Student Debt13
14
15
#24
overall quality in United States$61,341
Average Early-Career Earnings$17,265
Average Student Debt
Kennesaw State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking. KSU Georgia is located in Kennesaw, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.
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%.
With a ranking of #17, George Mason University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. GMU is a large public school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 47 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021. 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 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Read full report on Systems Engineering at George Mason University Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking. Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management is a small school located in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio that handed out 107 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021. Southern Methodist University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. This fairly large school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 43 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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 Systems Engineering Report University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #20. UNC Charlotte is a large school located in Charlotte, North Carolina that handed out 40 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Full University of North Carolina at Charlotte Systems Engineering Report17
18Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio19
20
Florida Institute of Technology ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. Melbourne, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s systems engineering degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Systems Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology
With a ranking of #21, United States Air Force Academy did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. USAF Academy, Colorado is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s systems engineering degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021. Read more about Systems Engineering at United States Air Force Academy With a ranking of #21, Texas A&M International University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. Laredo, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s systems engineering degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021. Full Texas A&M International University Systems Engineering Report Missouri University of Science and Technology came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a medium-sized public school situated in Rolla, Missouri. It awarded 75 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Read full report on Systems Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology With a ranking of #24, United States Military Academy did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. West Point is a small public school situated in West Point, New York. It awarded 38 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.2121
24
24
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major list. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s systems engineering degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 University of Texas at El Paso did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Systems Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #24. This large school is located in El Paso, Texas, and it awarded 38 ’s systems engineering degrees in 2020-2021.24
Read more about our data sources and methodologies