# Best colleges for electrical engineering

> Electrical and electronics engineering bachelor's programs ranked by value: graduate earnings against debt, net price and graduation rate. U.S. College Scorecard field-of-study data, data year 2025.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/best-colleges/electrical-engineering
- Data (CSV, every ranked college): https://www.collegesref.com/best-colleges/electrical-engineering.csv
- Snapshot updated: November 4, 2026
- Colleges ranked: 184 of 384 with a qualifying program

## Key findings

1. 184 colleges qualify. At the median one, electrical engineering graduates earn $99,787 4 years after graduating, and the average net price is $16,125 a year.
2. Rice University ranks first with a value score of 92.4: graduates earn $136,656 and the average net price is $11,164.
3. The highest earnings are at Carnegie Mellon University ($250,168), which ranks #22 once cost, debt and graduation rate are counted.
4. Public colleges hold 18 of the top 25 places.

## Top 50

Earnings are median annual earnings 4 years after the bachelor's degree; debt is median federal loan debt; net price and graduation rate are college-wide.

| Rank | College | State | Control | Earnings | Debt | Net price | Grad rate | Graduates | Value score |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1 | Rice University | TX | Private nonprofit | $136,656 | — | $11,164 | 95% | 20 | 92.4 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | Public | $200,543 | $13,548 | $14,538 | 94% | 510 | 89.9 |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | Private nonprofit | $161,118 | $15,000 | $14,815 | 96% | 71 | 89.1 |
| 4 | University of Florida | FL | Public | $107,543 | $15,124 | $5,969 | 92% | 111 | 88.0 |
| 5 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | Public | $126,209 | $14,580 | $14,659 | 93% | 146 | 86.9 |
| 6 | Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | NY | Private nonprofit | $139,068 | — | $12,999 | 82% | 34 | 85.3 |
| 7 | University of Washington-Seattle | WA | Public | $116,010 | $13,070 | $13,663 | 85% | 140 | 84.7 |
| 8 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | Public | $117,610 | $17,500 | $14,362 | 93% | 100 | 84.4 |
| 9 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | Private nonprofit | $143,332 | — | $15,370 | 95% | 24 | 84.2 |
| 10 | University of California-San Diego | CA | Public | $118,150 | $15,648 | $14,794 | 86% | 177 | 83.4 |
| 11 | Georgia Institute of Technology | GA | Public | $111,655 | $20,000 | $12,028 | 94% | 151 | 82.2 |
| 12 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | IL | Public | $111,783 | $19,500 | $13,042 | 86% | 235 | 80.7 |
| 13 | University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | WA | Public | $116,010 | $13,070 | $11,900 | 60% | 25 | 79.7 |
| 14 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | Public | $146,003 | $18,118 | $18,554 | 89% | 312 | 79.6 |
| 15 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | WA | Public | $116,010 | $13,070 | $13,802 | 68% | 59 | 79.4 |
| 16 | University of California-Irvine | CA | Public | $106,871 | $12,526 | $13,866 | 87% | 83 | 79.4 |
| 17 | University of California-Santa Barbara | CA | Public | $117,215 | $12,436 | $16,807 | 84% | 58 | 79.0 |
| 18 | San Diego State University | CA | Public | $106,416 | $12,600 | $13,243 | 78% | 101 | 77.8 |
| 19 | California State University-Fresno | CA | Public | $108,038 | — | $5,418 | 58% | 23 | 76.2 |
| 20 | Northeastern University | MA | Private nonprofit | $118,150 | $21,000 | $17,850 | 91% | 88 | 75.6 |
| 21 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | Public | $125,240 | $20,315 | $18,832 | 87% | 76 | 75.5 |
| 22 | Carnegie Mellon University | PA | Private nonprofit | $250,168 | $19,500 | $35,780 | 94% | 192 | 75.3 |
| 23 | Cornell University-New York | NY | Private nonprofit | $147,241 | $12,750 | $33,934 | 95% | 77 | 75.2 |
| 24 | Sonoma State University | CA | Public | $112,757 | — | $10,759 | 55% | 23 | 74.3 |
| 25 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | CA | Public | $103,924 | $14,253 | $9,404 | 68% | 152 | 74.2 |
| 26 | University of Michigan-Dearborn | MI | Public | $105,446 | $17,750 | $7,863 | 61% | 125 | 73.7 |
| 27 | San Francisco State University | CA | Public | $112,454 | $19,178 | $9,803 | 50% | 33 | 73.5 |
| 28 | University of Maryland-College Park | MD | Public | $107,834 | $21,500 | $14,296 | 88% | 99 | 73.4 |
| 29 | University of South Florida | FL | Public | $102,275 | $17,414 | $8,648 | 78% | 89 | 73.2 |
| 30 | California State University-Northridge | CA | Public | $104,065 | $12,500 | $6,346 | 57% | 59 | 72.9 |
| 31 | California State University-Long Beach | CA | Public | $103,075 | $17,225 | $9,426 | 70% | 119 | 72.5 |
| 32 | University of Notre Dame-South Bend | IN | Private nonprofit | $112,828 | $15,000 | $25,339 | 95% | 45 | 71.7 |
| 33 | University of Houston | TX | Public | $107,399 | $20,250 | $11,439 | 66% | 70 | 71.2 |
| 34 | University of California-Santa Cruz | CA | Public | $118,290 | $20,999 | $18,549 | 74% | 50 | 70.3 |
| 35 | Washington State University | WA | Public | $104,354 | $15,022 | $13,462 | 63% | 92 | 68.0 |
| 36 | The University of Texas at Dallas | TX | Public | $104,448 | $19,500 | $15,271 | 79% | 118 | 65.7 |
| 37 | California State University-Sacramento | CA | Public | $103,512 | $16,902 | $11,186 | 54% | 90 | 65.7 |
| 38 | University of Central Florida | FL | Public | $99,442 | $14,905 | $11,516 | 78% | 182 | 65.7 |
| 39 | Purdue University | IN | Public | $105,396 | $23,250 | $14,851 | 84% | 211 | 64.1 |
| 40 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | CO | Public | $110,754 | $24,750 | $10,217 | 49% | 42 | 64.0 |
| 41 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | Public | $108,296 | $19,500 | $24,897 | 84% | 253 | 63.2 |
| 42 | University of Missouri-Columbia | MO | Public | $105,034 | $14,892 | $21,142 | 77% | 45 | 63.0 |
| 43 | Lamar University | TX | Public | $103,037 | $18,600 | $7,984 | 39% | 37 | 62.8 |
| 44 | New York University | NY | Private nonprofit | $107,348 | $17,125 | $35,737 | 88% | 36 | 62.7 |
| 45 | Portland State University | OR | Public | $101,905 | $19,250 | $8,337 | 53% | 33 | 62.4 |
| 46 | University of Arizona | AZ | Public | $105,839 | $19,787 | $17,125 | 71% | 93 | 62.3 |
| 47 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | NE | Public | $100,972 | $12,500 | $16,214 | 69% | 45 | 62.3 |
| 48 | University of California-Riverside | CA | Public | $102,630 | $22,500 | $12,672 | 75% | 62 | 61.8 |
| 49 | University of Georgia | GA | Public | $98,280 | $17,508 | $13,636 | 89% | 37 | 61.2 |
| 50 | Brigham Young University-Provo | UT | Private nonprofit | $99,774 | — | $13,397 | 81% | 27 | 60.6 |

## Methodology

- **Programs counted.** Bachelor's degrees reported under CIP 14.10 at public and private nonprofit colleges published on CollegesRef. When a college reports more than one qualifying program, its largest one is used.
- **Eligibility.** A college needs at least 20 graduates in the latest award year, reported median earnings 4 years after graduation, and a published average net price and graduation rate. A field is published only when at least 50 colleges qualify.
- **Value score.** Each figure is turned into a 0–100 percentile among ranked colleges (100 is best: highest earnings or graduation rate, lowest net price or debt-to-earnings). The value score is the weighted average: graduate earnings 40%, average net price 25%, debt-to-earnings 20%, graduation rate 15%. If a college reports no debt figure, that weight is shared among the other three.
- **Earnings and debt.** Median annual earnings 4 years after completing the bachelor's degree, for graduates who received federal aid and were working. Debt is the median federal loan amount borrowed at the college by those graduates (College Scorecard field of study).
- **Cost and completion.** Average net price is what aided first-year students pay after grants, for the whole college rather than the major. Graduation rate is the college-wide share finishing within six years (150% of normal time).

## Limits

- **Value, not prestige.** The score rewards high earnings at a low cost. It does not measure research strength, faculty, selectivity or reputation, so famous programs can rank below less-known ones.
- **Earnings lag.** Earnings describe students who graduated several years ago and were measured years later. Today's job market and starting salaries can differ.
- **Suppressed small programs.** The Department of Education withholds figures for small groups of graduates to protect privacy, so many small programs cannot be ranked at all.
- **Federal aid recipients only.** Earnings and debt cover graduates who received federal grants or loans; students who paid without federal aid are not included.

## FAQ

### What is the best college for electrical engineering?

On value, Rice University ranks first in this ranking: electrical engineering graduates earn a median of $136,656 4 years after graduating, and the average net price is $11,164 a year. "Best" depends on what you need; this ranking weighs earnings against cost, debt and graduation rate.

### What do electrical engineering graduates go on to do?

Graduates work on power systems, electronics, chips and communications, and many move into software and hardware roles in tech. The earnings here are medians for graduates who received federal aid, 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

### Why are some well-known electrical engineering programs ranked low or missing?

The ranking measures value, not prestige. A college with high earnings but a high net price can rank below a cheaper college with slightly lower earnings. Programs are missing when federal data suppresses their earnings, when they have fewer graduates than the threshold, or when they are reported under a CIP code this ranking does not count.

### Can I see colleges in my state only?

Yes. Use the state filter above the list; ranks stay national so you can see where each college stands overall. You can also filter by public or private and by a maximum net price, or download the full CSV.

### Does the net price shown apply to electrical engineering students?

No. Average net price is reported for the whole college, not by major. Your own price depends on your family's finances; each college's net price calculator gives a personal estimate.

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (field of study, cost and completion): https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- CollegesRef methodology: https://www.collegesref.com/methodology

## How to cite

CollegesRef, "Best colleges for electrical engineering," value ranking from U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data (data year 2025), updated November 4, 2026. https://www.collegesref.com/best-colleges/electrical-engineering

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Source: CollegesRef, https://www.collegesref.com/best-colleges/electrical-engineering.