2025 Best Colleges for Aerospace Engineering
February 27, 2025
For prospective engineers, there is a wealth of excellent higher education options that will provide a top-notch educational experience. However, for a specialized field like this, you鈥檒l want to be particularly choosy in locating the best colleges for aerospace engineering. The quality of the laboratories, faculty, and internship experiences can vary greatly from school to school. Fortunately, we鈥檝e done the vetting for you and have winnowed down the larger list to only the highest-quality schools. Those hoping to one day get their foot in the door at industry giants such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, or Northrop Grumman should definitely aim for one of the excellent universities on our list of the best aerospace engineering schools.
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Click here to read our methodology for the Best Colleges for Aerospace Engineering.
Salary Information
Want to know how much money graduates of the best aerospace engineering colleges make when they begin their careers? For each college listed (and hundreds of additional schools), you can view the starting salaries for aerospace engineering majors.
Best Colleges for Aerospace Engineering
Here鈥檚 a quick preview of the first ten aerospace engineering institutions that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats for these and many other ranked aerospace engineering colleges can be found when you scroll below.
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All of the schools profiled below have stellar reputations in the area of aerospace engineering and commit substantial resources to undergraduate education. For each of the best aerospace engineering colleges, 国产第一福利影院草草 will provide you with鈥攚hen available鈥攖he university鈥檚:
- Enrollment
- Cost of Attendance
- Acceptance Rate
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- Retention Rate
- Graduation Rate
We will also include a longer write-up of each college鈥檚:
- Academic Highlights 鈥 Includes facts like student-to-faculty ratio, average class size, undergraduate research opportunities, and study abroad offerings
- Professional Outcomes 鈥 Includes info on the rate of positive outcomes, companies employing alumni, and graduate school acceptances.
Rankings of Other Engineering Programs
After reviewing our list of best aerospace engineering programs (below), you may also be interested in our rankings for other related engineering fields:
- Best Colleges for Biomedical Engineering
- Best Colleges for Chemical Engineering
- Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
- Best Colleges for Computer Engineering
- Best Colleges for Electrical Engineering
- Best Colleges for Environmental Engineering
- Best Colleges for Industrial Engineering
- Best Colleges for Mechanical Engineering
- Best Colleges for Petroleum Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Cambridge, MA
Academic Highlights: Undergraduates pursue one of 58 majors and 59 minors at this world-class research institution. The student-to-faculty ratio is an astonishing 3-to-1, and even with a substantial focus on graduate programs, the class sizes are intimate. Over two-fifths of all class sections have single-digit enrollments, and 66% of courses contain fewer than twenty students. MIT is known for having one of the best formalized undergraduate research programs in the country. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) operates year-round and helped connect 93%+ of students to a research experience with an MIT faculty member. Studying abroad is strongly encouraged; almost half participate.
Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2023 saw 49% of its members enter the world of employment and 43% continue on their educational paths. The top employers included Amazon, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Google, General Motors, the US Navy, Apple, Bain & Company, and McKinsey. The median starting salary for an MIT bachelor鈥檚 degree holder was $110,000. The most frequently attended graduate schools are a who鈥檚 who of elite institutions including MIT itself, Stanford, Cornell, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins.
- Enrollment: 4,567
- Cost of Attendance: $82,730
- Median SAT: 1550
- Median ACT: 35
- Acceptance Rate: 5%
- Retention Rate: 99%
- Graduation Rate: 96%
Georgia Institute of Technology
- Atlanta, GA
Academic Highlights: Being a large research university, the student-to-faculty ratio is a less-than-ideal 18:1, leading to some larger undergraduate class sections. In fact, 51% of courses had enrollments of more than thirty students in 2023. On the other end of the spectrum, 9% of sections had single-digit enrollments. While not all of your professors will know you by name, there are plenty of ways that motivated students can strike up meaningful faculty-student relationships, with nearly 50% collaborating on research with professors at some point during their undergraduate career. Fifty-two percent of Tech students have gone abroad by the time they graduate, with a growing number electing to complete internships in a foreign land rather than academic coursework. In a given year, 130+ undergraduate students participate in a global internship.
Professional Outcomes: More than three-quarters of recent grads had already procured employment by the time they were handed their diplomas. You will find graduates at every major technology company in the world. Recent employers include Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Capital One, and Apple. The median salary of the Class of 2023 was $84,000, with recent grads settling mostly in the Atlanta metro area. The next three most popular destinations are San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, DC.
- Enrollment: 19,505
- Cost of Attendance: $28,524 (In-State); $49,636 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1450
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 16%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 92%
United States Air Force Academy
- USAF Academy, CO
Academic Highlights: The USAFA boasts an outstanding 8:1 cadet-to-faculty ratio, and classes are accordingly modest in size with 66% of sections containing fewer than 20 students, a number that would make most traditional liberal arts schools jealous. There are plenty of opportunities to participate in research, whether at one of the 24 research centers and institutes or through the Cadet Summer Research Program, which attracts 450 cadets. Undergraduates also have the chance to participate in an international exchange program such as the Cadet Summer Language Immersion Program or Cadet Semester Study Abroad Program.
Professional Outcomes: As with any service academy, the bulk of graduates spend a good portion of their careers within the armed forces. For USAFA grads, a minimum five-year commitment to the Air Force is mandatory. Many alumni spend time later in their careers working in the commercial airline industry at Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines. Many also work for Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Lockheed Martin. The USAFA Academic Success Center helped place 27% of the recent graduating class in graduate programs.
- Enrollment: 4,124
- Cost of Attendance: $0
- Median SAT: 1350
- Median ACT: 30
- Acceptance Rate: 14%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 88%
Purdue University 鈥 West Lafayette
- West Lafayette, IN
Academic Highlights: Purdue offers over 200 majors at ten discipline-specific colleges, and 37% of course sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer. Undergraduates conduct more than 2,000 research projects per year; they can connect with professors during the academic year or apply to participate in a Summer Research Fellowship. Discipline-specific research programs, a research pitch competition, research conferences & symposiums, and publishing opportunities abound. 1,300 students per year elect to study abroad at one of 400 programs in 50 countries.
Professional Outcomes: Shortly after receiving their diplomas, 65% of 2023 grads headed to the world of employment while 25% headed to graduate/professional school. Companies employing the greatest number of recent alumni were Eli Lilly & Company, Amazon, Deloitte, JP Morgan Chase, PepsiCo, and Cummins, Inc. The average starting salary was $71k across all degree programs. The majority of alumni remain in Indiana with Illinois, California, Texas, New York, and Wisconsin rounding out the five next most common destinations.
- Enrollment: 39,864
- Cost of Attendance: $24,882 (In-State); $43,434 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1320
- Median ACT: 31
- Acceptance Rate: 50%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 83%
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
- Daytona Beach, FL
Academic Highlights: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University stands as the world’s premier aviation and aerospace institution, offering 29 specialized bachelor’s programs that combine rigorous academics with cutting-edge research. While maintaining an 18:1 student-to-faculty ratio that supports personalized mentorship, most courses utilize an optimal 20-49 student format for technical training. The university’s industry-leading facilities, including the Boeing Center for Aviation Safety and the NEXTGEN Facility, provide students with unparalleled access to aerospace research and innovation, preparing them to solve real-world challenges in global aviation.
Professional Outcomes:聽Those graduating in 2023 had an 85% placement rate six months after graduation. 59% had entered the world of employment, and 27% elected to pursue an advanced degree. The mean salary for those employed was $68,500, and the highest-volume employers were the US Air Force, Northrop Grumman, the US Navy, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing. Popular grad schools included the University of West Florida, the University of Florida, Johns Hopkins, and Georgia Tech.
- Enrollment: 10,274
- Cost of Attendance: $62,936
- Median SAT: 1240
- Median ACT: 27
- Acceptance Rate: 66%
- Retention Rate: 85%
- Graduation Rate: 68%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Troy, NY
Academic Highlights: Students will encounter various class sizes over the course of their four years of study. A solid 43% of sections contain fewer than 20 students; 21% will have 50 or more students. Being a research institution, RPI attracts $103 million in research funding each year, meaning that the school鈥檚 470+ faculty members are constantly in the middle of projects that require student assistance. Students can participate during the academic year for credit or pay, or during the summer when select individuals receive $5,000 to work full-time in a lab. International study is also encouraged at one of 20+ school-affiliated or exchange programs in multiple countries, including Italy, Finland, and Singapore.
Professional Outcomes: As they receive their diplomas, 56% of RPI grads have already landed a job and 33% have committed to a graduate school. The largest numbers of grads were hired by companies that included Boeing, Amazon, Regeneron, Lockheed Martin, Epic, and Cigna. Information technology alumni had the highest salary range, earning between $80k – $130k. Grad school destinations included Columbia, the University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, and Cornell, with most Engineers choosing to continue their studies at RPI.
- Enrollment: 5,954
- Cost of Attendance: $82,404
- Median SAT: 1410
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 58%
- Retention Rate: 89%
- Graduation Rate: 83%
University of Michigan
- Ann Arbor, MI
Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges. Michigan sports a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 18% of classes contain 50 or more students, but a solid 53% of classes offer a more intimate experience with fewer than 20 students. The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program draws in 1,300 participants each year who partner with 800+ research mentors. For students in all academic programs at Michigan, study abroad opportunities are taken advantage of at high rates. In fact, the university is second in the nation in the number of students it sends to study in foreign lands.
Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school. The median salary across all majors is approximately 70k. Top employers include PwC, EY, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Citi, Bank of America, and Capital One.聽 Within six months, 93% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $99k) or in grad school. General Motors, Ford, Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft employ the greatest number of alumni.
- Enrollment: 33,730
- Cost of Attendance: $34,782 (In-State); $75,626 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1470
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 18%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
The University of Texas at Austin
- Austin, TX
Academic Highlights: UT Austin offers over 170 majors. Sn encouraging 36% of course sections enroll nineteen or fewer students. Opportunities for undergraduate research vary by school, and many student must compete for slots in programs such as Summer聽Research Scholars or use the Eureka database to find individual professors offering research assistantships. A robust study abroad program boasts 400 offerings in 100+ foreign countries; 4,600+ students participate each year, the third-largest number in the country.
Professional Outcomes:聽 Over 1000 alumni work in the offices of Dell, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Deloitte; IBM, Meta, Oracle, and AMD employ over 500 each. Graduates early in their careers earn a median salary of $77,400, with median mid-career pay reaching $141,100. Roughly one-quarter of University of Texas at Austin undergraduates go on to pursue advanced degrees after completing their bachelor鈥檚. Many pursue advanced study at UT Austin itself, which offers more than one hundred graduate programs. Many alumni stay in Texas after graduation, settling in Austin, Houston, and Dallas-Fort Worth.
- Enrollment: 42,444
- Cost of Attendance: $31,572 (In-State); $62,672 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1370
- Median ACT: 31
- Acceptance Rate: 29%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 88%
University of Colorado Boulder
- Boulder, CO
Academic Highlights: Forty percent of classes actually have fewer than 20 students, while 19% of courses enroll 50 or more students. Opportunities to connect with faculty for research opportunities span all majors and fields of study. The school also offers the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship Program, which enables engineering students to conduct paid faculty-mentored research. Over 2,200 students per year participate in the credit- bearing Education Abroad program that offers hundreds of destinations within 60 countries around the world.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of leaving CU Boulder, 83% of recent grads were working or in graduate school. 47% of graduates earned between $50k and $75k, with the greatest number working at Lockheed Martin, Charles Schwab, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and RS&H. More than 100 alumni can also be found at Google, Amazon, Apple, Oracle, and Microsoft. 25% of new grads immediately jumped into an advanced degree program, and 93% were accepted into their first-choice school.
- Enrollment: 32,105
- Cost of Attendance: $37,684 (In-State); $63,197 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1330
- Median ACT: 31
- Acceptance Rate: 83%
- Retention Rate: 89%
- Graduation Rate: 75%
University of Maryland, College Park
- College Park, MD
Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can select from 100+ majors across twelve colleges and schools. 47% of class sections enroll fewer than twenty students. Undergraduate research opportunities are within reach as 21% of recent graduates completed one. The Office of Undergraduate Research facilitates numerous opportunities throughout the year, and hosts an annual Undergraduate Research Day and Summer Undergraduate Research Conference at which 550+ students make presentations. Fourteen percent of students also pursue a study abroad experience at one of 300+ destinations in 60 countries.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 94% of Class of 2023 grads had positive outcomes. 71% found employment; the companies/organizations that hired the greatest number of grads included Northrop Grumman, Deloitte, Capital One, and Montgomery County Public Schools. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft employ more than 900 alumni each.聽 The salary range for 2023 grads was between $60k and $86k. 21% of the Class of 2023 headed directly to graduate and professional school.
- Enrollment: 30,608
- Cost of Attendance: $30,885 (In-State); $59,686 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1460
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 45%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 88%
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Blacksburg, VA
Academic Highlights: Eight undergraduate colleges that offer 150+ distinct majors are housed within Virginia Tech. 34% of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 13:1. Overall, 19% of recent graduates report participating in some type of undergraduate research experience, but landing such opportunities is much easier for members of the Honors College. Each year, more than 1,200 students avail themselves of the chance to study abroad in locations such as Switzerland, New Zealand, France, and Scotland.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 37% of the Class of 2023 were employed and 14% were in graduate school. Graduates work at major corporations including Deloitte, EY, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Kimley-Horn, Northrop Grumman, and Accenture. The median salary for 2023 graduates was $70,000. Among recent grads who decided to pursue an advanced degree, the greatest number stayed at VT, while others enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason University, George Washington University, UVA, UNC Chapel Hill, and Johns Hopkins.
- Enrollment: 30,504
- Cost of Attendance: $37,252 (In-State); $58,468 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1330
- Median ACT: 30
- Acceptance Rate: 57%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 86%
Princeton University
- Princeton, NJ
Academic Highlights: An absurdly low 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio does, as you might expect, translate to tiny class sizes for undergraduates. Just under three-quarters of class sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer students, and 32% have fewer than ten students. Princeton is known for its commitment to undergraduate teaching, and students consistently rate professors as accessible and helpful. The Office of Undergraduate Research assists Tigers in locating faculty members with whom they can jointly conduct research in the summer or during a regular term. More than four hundred study abroad programs, internships, and experiences are available in over 140 countries; 61% of students ultimately engage in at least one international experience.
Professional Highlights: Over 93% of a typical Tiger class has found their next destination within six months of graduating. Companies presently employing hundreds of Tiger alumni include Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Meta. The average salary reported by 2023 graduates was $89k across all majors. Between 15-20% of graduating Tigers head directly to graduate/professional school. Tigers typically choose equally prestigious graduate schools to attend. Members of one recent class flocked in the largest numbers to Stanford, Penn, Princeton, Harvard, Cambridge, Columbia, and Oxford in that order.
- Enrollment: 5,671
- Cost of Attendance: $84,040
- Median SAT: 1540
- Median ACT: 34
- Acceptance Rate: 4%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 97%
California Institute of Technology
- Pasadena, CA
Academic Highlights: Across all six divisions at Caltech, there are 28 distinct majors. Possessing an absurdly favorable 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio, plenty of individualized attention is up for grabs. Class sizes are not quite as tiny as the student-to-faculty ratio might suggest, but 66% of courses enroll fewer than twenty students, and 28% enroll fewer than ten. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) enjoy wide participation with 90% of undergraduates partaking, and 20% of that group going on to publish their results.
Professional Outcomes: Caltech is a rare school that sees six-figure average starting salaries for its graduates; in 2023, the median base salary range was 110k-119k. Forty-four percent of recent grads went directly into the workforce and found homes at tech giants such as Google, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta. A healthy 43% of those receiving their diplomas in 2023 continued directly on the higher education path, immediately entering graduate school. Seventy-four percent of these students were admitted to their top-choice school.
- Enrollment: 1,023
- Cost of Attendance: $86,886
- Median SAT: Test Blind
- Median ACT: Test Blind
- Acceptance Rate: 3%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
University of California, Los Angeles
- Los Angeles, CA
Academic Highlights: Close to half of classrooms contain fewer than twenty Bruins, but those taking introductory courses will find themselves in a fair number of lecture halls with a hundred or more students. Professors are given impressively high marks for a research university of UCLA鈥檚 size. 93% of College of Letters and Science seniors rate their professors as being intellectually challenging. By the time they graduate, 45% of undergraduates have participated in a research experience. Every year, roughly one-quarter of the undergraduate population elects to study abroad, a sharp increase from only a few years ago. UCLA has 115 partner universities in 40+ countries around the globe.
Professional Outcomes: Thousands of alumni can be found working at Google, Amazon, and Apple. Companies that employ over 100 Bruins each include Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, TikTok, NVIDIA, and LinkedIn.聽Ultimately, one-third of UCLA grads go on to enroll in graduate/professional school, with many choosing to stay at their alma mater. Otherwise, the most attended grad schools are primarily other excellent California-based institutions including Stanford, USC, and Berkeley. For graduates early in their careers, the median salary is $78,600, with mid-career median earnings reaching over $149k. Many alumni remain in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area after graduating; other popular destinations include the San Francisco Bay area and New York City.
- Enrollment: 33,040
- Cost of Attendance: $38,031 (In-State); $68,808 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: Test Blind
- Median ACT: Test Blind
- Acceptance Rate: 9%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
Stanford University
- Palo Alto, CA
Academic Highlights: A virtually unmatched 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio sets students up for a personalized classroom experience and an incredible amount of face time with some of the leaders in their respective fields. Sixty-nine percent of classes have fewer than twenty students, and 32% have a single-digit enrollment. Stanford puts immense resources behind undergraduate research; more than $6.5 million in grant funding is allocated each year to support roughly 1,100 student research projects. Close to 900 students study abroad annually through the Bing Overseas Studies Program in 12 international cities.
Professional Outcomes: Stanford grads entering the working world flock to three major industries: business development, engineering, and education. Among the companies employing the largest number of grads are Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, NVIDIA, and OpenAI. A sizable number of newly minted Cardinals dive into the world of entrepreneurship. San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles were the top three US destinations for recent grads. Starting salaries for Stanford grads are among the highest in the country.
- Enrollment: 8,054
- Cost of Attendance: $87,833
- Median SAT: 1550
- Median ACT: 35
- Acceptance Rate: 4%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Champaign-Urbana, IL
Academic Highlights: Eight of UIUC’s fifteen schools cater to undergraduate students. Illinois鈥 student-to-faculty ratio of 20:1 is high even for a public institution, but the school still manages to keep 39% of sections capped at 19 students. Further, 40% of undergraduates participate in research; over 800 students each year present at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. Unique opportunities for experiential learning abound at Research Park, an on-campus technology hub and business incubator that hosts more than 120 major corporations and 800 student interns.
Professional Outcomes: 91% of recent UIUC grads landed at their next destination within six months of graduation, with 35% matriculating directly into an advanced degree program. 56% were employed full-time. Corporations landing the most recent Illinois grads were Amazon, Deloitte, Epic, KPMG, and PwC. The average salary across all majors was an extremely solid $76,000. Two-thirds of graduates remained in the Land of Lincoln; California and New York commandeer the next greatest percentages of migrating alumni.
- Enrollment: 35,564
- Cost of Attendance: $33,642 (In-State); $52,139 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1410
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 44%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 85%
University of Florida
- Gainesville, FL
Academic Highlights: With 16 colleges and 100 undergraduate majors to choose from, educational experiences are exceptionally diverse. UF impressively offers 50% of sections with an enrollment of fewer than 20 students. The Center for Undergraduate Research offers a University Research Scholars program as well as summer opportunities, hosts its own Undergraduate Research Symposium, and publishes its own UF Journal of Undergraduate Research. Forty percent of all undergrads have such an experience. The school has connections to 1,100 study abroad programs that are taken advantage of by more than 2,900 undergrads each year.
Professional Outcomes: The University of Florida demonstrates exceptional career preparation, with 83% of the Class of 2024 securing employment by graduation day. Gator alumni have established a strong presence at leading tech giants, with 200+ graduates currently working at Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta, and Oracle. The class achieved an impressive average starting salary of $68,000. For those continuing their education, popular graduate destinations include the University of South Florida, Nova Southeastern University, and Georgia Tech, showcasing UF’s strong pipeline to both immediate employment and advanced academic opportunities.
- Enrollment: 34,924
- Cost of Attendance: $22,601 (In-State); $44,879 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1390
- Median ACT: 31
- Acceptance Rate: 24%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
Pennsylvania State University 鈥 University Park
- State College, PA
Academic Highlights: Penn State offers 275 majors and a number of top-ranked programs in a host of disciplines. Unlike some public research universities that can have student-to-faculty ratios greater than 20:1, PSU boasts a solid 15:1 ratio. That level of support allows 61% of classes to have an enrollment below thirty students.聽 Even at such a large institution, it is possible to get involved in undergraduate research. Eberly College of Science professors are running upwards of 3,000 research projects per year, and the school has a well-maintained and up-to-date database of undergraduate research positions. All told, 16% of graduates report having engaged in undergraduate research. 22% of a recent graduating class availed themselves of study abroad opportunities in one of 300+ programs in 50+ countries each year.
Professional Outcomes: By graduation, 79% of Nittany Lions have found their next employment or graduate school home. Over a hundred alumni work at Tesla; Deloitte, Amazon, Google, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and Accenture each employ over 500 alumni. Three-quarters of recent graduates employed full-time earned starting salaries of greater than $50k. Penn State graduates mostly settle in the Greater Philadelphia area, with New York City and the Washington DC-Baltimore area also proving popular with alumni.
- Enrollment: 42,223
- Cost of Attendance: $39,892 (In-State); $59,846 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1310
- Median ACT: 29
- Acceptance Rate: 54%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 86%
University of Washington 鈥 Seattle
- Seattle, WA
Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across twelve colleges/schools. Twenty-six percent of sections contain 50 or more students compared to 29% of sections that contain fewer than 20. Still, there are opportunities for personal connections with professors as evidenced by the fact that 80% of graduates complete research during their four years at UW. The study abroad rate of participation has climbed steadily since the turn of the millennium; 3,000 students each year spend a semester in a foreign locale.
Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 62% of Class of 2023 grads were employed and 24% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2023 included Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Seattle Children’s, and Deloitte. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, most remain at UW itself. Large numbers of 2023 grads also headed to Columbia, UPenn, USC, and Johns Hopkins.
- Enrollment: 39,515
- Cost of Attendance: $34,552 (In-State); $63,906 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1410
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 43%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
University of Southern California
- Los Angeles, CA
Academic Highlights: Aided by a favorable 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the school does an excellent job facilitating undergraduate research opportunities. Each school/college has a course entitled Directed Research 490 in which students work closely with a faculty supervisor and earn between two and eight credits, countless other opportunities exist to get one鈥檚 hands dirty in academic research. Each department has its own slate of study abroad offerings and Maymester programs, which are short-term intensive courses held stateside and abroad.
Professional Outcomes: 93% of undergrads experience positive postgraduation outcomes within six months of earning their degree. The median salary across all majors is an astounding $85k. Presently, between 500 and 2,500 alumni are employed at each of Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA, and Oracle. Graduate/professional schools enrolling the greatest number of 2023 USC grads include Columbia, UCLA, Pepperdine, and Harvard, with most remaining at USC for their advanced studies.
- Enrollment: 21,023
- Cost of Attendance: $90,453
- Median SAT: 1510
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 10%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 92%
Cornell University
- Ithaca, NY
Academic Highlights: Classes are a bit larger at Cornell than at many other elite institutions. Still, 54% of sections have fewer than 20 students. Introductory courses sometimes take place in larger lecture halls, so 24% of courses have an enrollment of more than forty students. Undergraduates do give their professors generally high marks: 88% report being satisfied with the instruction they have received, 48% report completing a thesis/research project, and 53% conducted research with a faculty member. Members of Big Red can choose from study abroad opportunities in more than forty countries, and roughly one-third participate.
Professional Outcomes: Breaking down the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Cornell, 63% entered the workforce, 26% entered graduate school, 2% pursued other endeavors such as travel or volunteer work, and the remaining 4% were still seeking employment six months after receiving their diplomas. Graduates earned a median salary of $85,000. Of the students from A&S going on to graduate school, 13% pursued JDs, 4% MDs, and 25% PhDs. Popular destinations included staying at Cornell, other Ivies, Stanford, MIT, universities in the UC system, or abroad at Oxford, Cambridge, the University of Toronto, or the University of St. Andrews
- Enrollment: 16,051
- Cost of Attendance: $88,140
- Median SAT: 1520
- Median ACT: 34
- Acceptance Rate: 8%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 95%
Texas A&M University 鈥 College Station
- College Station, TX
Academic Highlights: With sixteen schools and colleges and 140+ undergraduate degree programs, Texas A&M is a massive operation. Class sizes trend large, but 25% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students and personal connections with professors are entirely possible, particularly through the research-oriented LAUNCH program. A&M excels in facilitating study abroad experiences, sending over 5,600 students to 110+ countries in a typical year, the most of any public university in the United States.
Professional Outcomes: On graduation day, 79% of students had already received at least one job offer or were heading to graduate/professional school. Many Aggies go on to work at major oil, tech, and consulting firms; Amazon, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Apple, Halliburton, and Google each employ more than 500 alumni. Starting salaries were strong鈥攐n average grads netted around $65k. The vast majority of graduates remain in Texas with Houston, Dallas, College Station, Austin, and San Antonio top in popularity.
- Enrollment: 59,933
- Cost of Attendance: $33,507 (In-State); $60,736 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1260
- Median ACT: 28
- Acceptance Rate: 63%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
University of Virginia
- Charlottesville, VA
Academic Highlights: Undergrads can study within one of eight colleges/schools, which all offer many small classes; 14% boast single-digit enrollment and 48% contain 19 or fewer students. Undergraduate research opportunities can be challenging to uncover at any large school where graduate students get the prime spots, yet, UVA does offer a multitude of formal opportunities as well as the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium and three undergraduate research journals. The classroom at UVA extends well beyond Charlottesville as one-fifth enjoy a semester abroad through one of fifty programs around the world.
Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their degree, 86% of the Class of 2023 immediately joined the workforce鈥搘ith an average starting salary of $82k鈥搊r headed directly to graduate school.聽 Capital One (58), Amazon (45), Deloitte (41), and Accenture (34) scooped up the greatest number of 2023 grads. UVA itself was the most popular grad school destination followed by Columbia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Duke.
- Enrollment: 17,612
- Cost of Attendance: $39,926 (In-State); $76,954 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1490
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 17%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 95%
University of Notre Dame
- Notre Dame, IN
Academic Highlights: 75 majors are offered across six undergraduate colleges. A solid 61% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students, and 18% have single-digit numbers. Just 9% of courses have an enrollment of more than 50 undergrads. The Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement offers hundreds of opportunities for conducting research, both individually and alongside faculty; more than one-third of graduates ultimately partake. One of the top universities for study abroad participation, 87% of Notre Dame undergrads select one of 50+ programs in 35 countries; the satisfaction rate for study abroad experiences is above 90%.
Professional Outcomes: A spectacular 98% of 2023 Notre Dame graduates were employed, continuing their educations, volunteering, or serving in the military within six months of completing their degrees. Top companies where recent alumni set up shop included Deloitte, EY, PwC, Microsoft, Amazon, Bank of America, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and McKinsey & Co. The median starting salary across all majors is $82,000, a mark that is significantly higher than the national average for college grads. The highest concentration of recent alumni can be found in Illinois followed by New York, Indiana, California, and Texas.
- Enrollment: 8,968
- Cost of Attendance: $83,271
- Median SAT: 1500
- Median ACT: 34
- Acceptance Rate: 12%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 97%
Iowa State University
- Ames, IA
Academic Highlights:聽With more than 100 majors available across six undergraduate colleges, Iowa State has no shortage of academic pathways to explore. The student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1, yet courses are a mix of large and small. 31% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students and 23% enroll more than 50. 鈥Iowa State University offers extensive undergraduate research opportunities across all disciplines, coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression. For example, students can participate in programs such as the Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA), which provides paid positions for juniors and seniors to engage in faculty-mentored research projects.
Professional Outcomes: Ninety-four percent of the Class of 2023 enjoyed positive career outcomes, with 79% employed and 15% continuing their education. Popular employers include John Deere, Principal Financial Group, Amazon, Collins Aerospace, Corteva Agriscience, Bayer, Cargill, and Microsoft. Most remain in Iowa after graduation but many also move to Minnesota, Chicago, California, or Texas. The average starting salary for the most recent engineering cohort was $77,260.
- Enrollment: 25,332
- Cost of Attendance: $24,204 (In-State); $41,390 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1240
- Median ACT: 24
- Acceptance Rate: 89%
- Retention Rate: 88%
- Graduation Rate: 75%
Case Western Reserve University
- Cleveland, OH
Academic Highlights: Sporting a 9:1 faculty-to-student ratio, the university does a nice job keeping classes on the small side, with 48% of course sections capped at nineteen and only 14% of courses having fifty students or more. An exceptional 86% of students have the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research as the school places heavy emphasis on experiential learning. The same goes for international experiences. Case Western has a high rate of undergraduates who elect to study abroad; 38% spend a semester in a foreign land. Unlike many schools of its ilk, CWRU has a single-door admission policy. Those accepted into the broader university are free to pursue any of the nearly one hundred areas of concentration.
Professional Outcomes: Fifty-five percent of 2023 CWRU graduates head into the world of professional employment upon receiving their diplomas; only 4% were still looking for work six months after leaving the university. More than half of the Class of 2023 enjoyed a starting salary of at least $75,000. The employers of the greatest number of graduates included Amazon, Microsoft, Deloitte, and Raytheon. In 2023, grads were accepted to continue their studies at the likes of NYU, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, WashU, and the University of Pennsylvania.
- Enrollment: 6,186
- Cost of Attendance: $86,073
- Median SAT: 1490
- Median ACT: 34
- Acceptance Rate: 29%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 87%
The Ohio State University 鈥 Columbus
- Columbus, OH
Academic Highlights: There are 250+ undergraduate majors and 18 schools and colleges housed within OSU. A 17-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to fairly large classes as only 40% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, so expect a fair number of courses in a large lecture hall setting. Still, aggressive students can find opportunities to work closely with faculty. The Office of Undergraduate Research & Inquiry helps approximately 600 students per year participate in undergraduate research forums. All told, approximately 20% of students gain research experience. Last year, nearly 1,800 undergraduates elected to study abroad in one of 350+ short- and long-term programs spread across 70 countries; OSU has the third-highest study abroad enrollment numbers in the Big 10.
Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their diplomas, 64% of Class of 2023 graduates entered the world of employment while 14% were already accepted into graduate or professional school.聽 Hordes of Buckeyes can be found at many of the nation鈥檚 leading companies. More than 2,000 alumni work for JPMorgan Chase, and more than 500 work for Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Of the grads who directly matriculate into graduate or professional school, many continue in one of OSU鈥檚 own programs.
- Enrollment: 45,728
- Cost of Attendance: $31,231 (In-State); $56,737 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1400
- Median ACT: 31
- Acceptance Rate: 51%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 88%
University of Minnesota鈥揟win Cities
- Minneapolis, MN
Academic Highlights: There are 150 majors available across eight freshman-admitting undergraduate colleges. A 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio is deployed effectively so that 65% of sections enroll 29 or fewer students. No matter your field of study, you can utilize UM鈥檚 well-maintained database of upcoming faculty research projects as a way to connect directly with the professor of your choice; more than 2,000 undergraduates participate in a research or creative project every year. An outstanding 30% of UMTC students study abroad during their academic career with the most popular destinations being Spain, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Professional Outcomes: Over 1000 alumni work at Target, Medtronic, 3M, and U.S. Bank; Amazon, Google, Cargill, and Microsoft employ 500+ UMN graduates each. The average starting salary across all majors is approximately 60k and recent employers include Boeing, Honeywell, Northrop Grumman, Abbott, IBM, EcoLab, Boston Scientific, Wells Fargo, Google, Apple, and Microsoft and Epic. With 130 graduate programs, the University of Minnesota retains many of its graduates as they pursue their next degrees.
- Enrollment: 39,556
- Cost of Attendance: $32,866 (In-State); $52,780 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1400
- Median ACT: 29
- Acceptance Rate: 77%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 85%
University of Miami
- Coral Gables, FL
Academic Highlights: Over 100 undergrad programs are offered across nine schools, A noteworthy 92% of graduates report being satisfied with their education while 82% were satisfied with their major. Fifty-two percent of all course sections contain fewer than 20 students, and only 7% of sections sport enrollments of more than 50 undergrads. Study abroad opportunities are vast and include university-run programs in sixteen locations; roughly 40% of undergrads participate each year. Undergraduate research posts are available, with many facilitated by the Office of Research and Community Outreach.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 99% of the Class of 2023 had positive outcomes, with 62% employed full-time and 36% in graduate school. Companies employing 2023 grads included Citi, Bank of America, Jackson Memorial Hospital, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, and Goldman Sachs. Across all majors, the median starting salary was an impressive $62k. 100+ Canes also can be found in the offices of Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. The most frequently attended graduate school is typically Miami itself.
- Enrollment: 12,883
- Cost of Attendance: $88,440
- Median SAT: 1400
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 19%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
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