14,832
Graduates Per Year
$66K
Average Salary
#35
Most Popular Major
TOP
50
Degree Stats
Popular
14,832
13% NATIONAL AVG
Diplomas Received Last Year
280
5% NATIONAL AVG
Colleges Offering this Degree
Most Popular Degrees
34
Chemistry
15,395
35
Civil Engineering
14,832
36
General Studies
14,691
Most Widely Offered Degrees
35
/
1.852
Worse
Better
Top 100 Colleges offering this degree
Degree Granting Schools that are Public
Most Graduates
By Region
Southeast
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
By State
California
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
By Conference
Southeastern Conference
University of Florida
By School
California Institute of Technology
If you think life as a senior civil engineer, senior structural engineer, or water resources engineer sounds interesting, then a degree in civil engineering may just be for you. You could even become the civil engineer that makes a large cities traffic manageable!
Civil engineering is the 35th most popular degree in America, with 14,832 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #36 General Studies, and narrowly lost to #34 Chemistry
The degree is offered at a total of 280 colleges across the nation, and is the 80th most widely offered degree. Given that civil engineering is offered at 39% of the Top 100 Best Collegesin America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.
It is also worth noting that seven tenths of colleges offering civil engineering are public making it a quite accessible field.
The southeast produces the most civil engineering graduates, largely led by Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, while it’s the Southeastern Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispoand California State Polytechnic University-Pomona.
All that being said, no individual school produces more civil engineering graduates than California Institute of Technology, which graduated 247 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study civil engineering). More students studied civil engineering as a percentage of total students at Virginia Military Institutethan any other college.
Good luck on your college search and we hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Civil Engineering list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
We wish you luck on your college search. We hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Civil Engineering list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
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#1 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a very large public university located in Champaign, IL ranked 117thin the United States. It has a total of 35,883 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting just less than 3/5 of applicants. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers 372 different majors and is best known for its civil engineering, food science, and architectural technology programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $12,036 for in-state students and $29,178 for those from out-of-state, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is somewhat moderately costly. 80.23% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $61,500 per year, which is 48% over the national median.
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Champaign, IL
www.illinois.edu/
A
Rating
59%
Acceptance
54,985
Students
# 21
Ranking
$29,178
Tuition
#2 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Texas A & M University-College Station is a very large public university located in College Station, TX ranked 124thin the nation. It has a total of 56,527 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 57.79% of applicants. Texas A & M University-College Station offers 409 different majors and is best known for its construction engineering technology, fitness administration, and petroleum engineering programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $8,532 for students from Texas and $34,981 for those from out-of-state, Texas A & M University-College Station is somewhat moderately costly. 76.91% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, joining the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $58,000 per year, which is 40% over the national median.
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College Station, TX
https://www.tamu.edu
A
Rating
58%
Acceptance
73,267
Students
# 23
Ranking
$34,981
Tuition
#3 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a very large public university located in Blacksburg, VA ranked 136thin the US. It has a total of 28,939 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 70.04% of applicants. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University offers 242 different majors and is best known for its foods nutrition and related services, foreign languages and literatures, and management science programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $11,420 for students from Virginia and $29,960 for those from out-of-state, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is reasonably costly. 80.79% of students graduate moving on to the next stage of their lives, entering the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $62,500 per year, which is 50% greater than the national median.
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Blacksburg, VA
WWW.VT.EDU
A
Rating
70%
Acceptance
36,882
Students
# 28
Ranking
$29,960
Tuition
#4 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Stanford University is a large private university located in Stanford, CA ranked 2ndin America. It has a total of 8,290 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 4.34% of applicants. Stanford University offers 227 different majors and is best known for its human biology, industrial management, and earth sciences programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $52,857 per year, Stanford University is very high-priced. 89.2% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, joining the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $94,000 per year, which is 126% over the national median.
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Stanford, CA
www.stanford.edu/
A+
Rating
4%
Acceptance
20,993
Students
# 2
Ranking
$52,857
Tuition
#5 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is a very large public university located in Atlanta, GA ranked 49thin America. It has a total of 17,400 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting 20.58% of applicants. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus offers 127 different majors and is best known for its engineering, computer and information sciences, and mechanical engineering programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $10,258 for students from Georgia and $31,370 for those from out-of-state, Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is reasonably high-priced. 78.03% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $79,100 per year, which is 90% over the national median.
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Atlanta, GA
www.gatech.edu
A+
Rating
21%
Acceptance
38,951
Students
# 4
Ranking
$31,370
Tuition
#6 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a very small private school of engineering and technology located in New York, NY ranked 58thin America. It has a total of 893 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 15.45% of applicants. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers 12 different majors and is best known for its civil engineering, fine art, and electrical and electronics engineering programs (nationally ranked 6th, 8th, and 16th respectively). With a tuition cost of $44,550 per year, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is rather expensive. 72% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, joining the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $64,900 per year, which is 56% over the national median.
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New York, NY
www.cooper.edu
A+
Rating
15%
Acceptance
1,000
Students
# 54
Ranking
$44,550
Tuition
#7 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin is a very large public university located in Austin, TX ranked 81stin the nation. It has a total of 43,132 full-time undergraduate students and is somewhat competitive, accepting narrowly south of 1 in 3 applicants. The University of Texas at Austin offers 339 different majors and is best known for its communication sciences and disorders, writing, and accounting programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $10,824 for in-state students and $38,326 for those from out-of-state, The University of Texas at Austin is quite pricey. 77.77% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $58,200 per year, which is 40% greater than the national median.
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Austin, TX
www.utexas.edu
A+
Rating
32%
Acceptance
55,128
Students
# 10
Ranking
$38,326
Tuition
#8 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a large private university located in Cambridge, MA ranked 1stin the US. It has a total of 4,698 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 6.7% of applicants. Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers 114 different majors and is best known for its computer science, mathematics, and physics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $53,450 per year, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is exceptionally expensive. 90% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $104,700 per year, which is 152% above the national median.
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Cambridge, MA
web.mit.edu/
A+
Rating
7%
Acceptance
12,321
Students
# 1
Ranking
$53,450
Tuition
#9 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
University of California-Berkeley is a very large public university located in Berkeley, CA ranked 68thin the nation. It has a total of 32,700 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 16.25% of applicants. University of California-Berkeley offers 315 different majors and is best known for its cellular biology and anatomical sciences, natural resources and conservation, and environmental studies programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for in-state students and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Berkeley is rather costly. 58.68% of students graduate moving on to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $64,700 per year, which is 56% over the national median.
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Berkeley, CA
www.berkeley.edu
A+
Rating
16%
Acceptance
45,183
Students
# 7
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#10 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Manhattan College is a small private institution located in Riverdale, NY ranked 245thin America. It has a total of 3,834 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, with a 73.62% acceptance rate. Manhattan College offers 75 different majors and is best known for its sales and merchandising, sales distribution and marketing operations, and allied health and medical assisting services programs (nationally ranked 4th, 4th, and 6th respectively). With a tuition cost of $40,400 per year, Manhattan College is quite expensive. 73.57% of students graduate ready to the next phase of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $65,000 per year, which is 56% greater than the national median.
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Riverdale, NY
www.manhattan.edu
A-
Rating
74%
Acceptance
4,599
Students
# 178
Ranking
$40,400
Tuition
#11 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Purdue University-Main Campus is a very large public university located in West Lafayette, IN ranked 133rdin America. It has a total of 35,481 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting slightly under 3 out of 5 applicants. Purdue University-Main Campus offers 382 different majors and is best known for its engineering technologies, mechanical engineering technology, and computer graphics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $9,208 for in-state students and $28,010 for those from out-of-state, Purdue University-Main Campus is reasonably expensive. 69.04% of students graduate ready to the next phase of their lives, joining the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $55,100 per year, which is 33% greater than the national median.
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West Lafayette, IN
https://www.purdue.edu
A
Rating
60%
Acceptance
47,412
Students
# 26
Ranking
$28,010
Tuition
#12 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is a small public school of engineering and technology located in Rapid City, SD ranked 2ndin South Dakota. It has a total of 2,652 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 76.6% of applicants. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology offers 52 different majors and is best known for its geological engineering, civil engineering, and biotechnology programs (nationally ranked 4th, 12th, and 17th respectively). With a tuition cost of $7,610 for in-state students and $11,920 for those from out-of-state, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is pretty low-priced. 44.02% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $56,500 per year, which is 36% above the national median.
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Rapid City, SD
www.sdsmt.edu
C+
Rating
77%
Acceptance
3,076
Students
# 192
Ranking
$11,920
Tuition
#13 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
University of California-Davis is a very large public university located in Davis, CA ranked 86thin the US. It has a total of 32,863 full-time undergraduate students and is somewhat competitive, accepting slightly over 3 in every 8 applicants. University of California-Davis offers 311 different majors and is best known for its design and visual communications, nutrition sciences, and biotechnology programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for in-state students and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Davis is rather high-priced. 80.59% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $58,200 per year, which is 40% greater than the national median.
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Davis, CA
ucdavis.edu
A+
Rating
39%
Acceptance
40,623
Students
# 11
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#14 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
New Jersey Institute of Technology is a large public university located in Newark, NJ ranked 229thin America. It has a total of 9,769 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, with a 72.81% acceptance rate. New Jersey Institute of Technology offers 110 different majors and is best known for its engineering technologies, information technology, and architectural technology programs (nationally ranked 10th, 11th, and 11th respectively). With a tuition cost of $14,448 for in-state students and $30,160 for those from out-of-state, New Jersey Institute of Technology is somewhat moderately costly. 64.27% of students graduate starting the next phase of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $68,500 per year, which is 65% over the national median.
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Newark, NJ
www.njit.edu/
A-
Rating
73%
Acceptance
13,236
Students
# 62
Ranking
$30,160
Tuition
#15 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a very large public university located in Seattle, WA ranked 110thin the United States. It has a total of 39,443 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 51.76% of applicants. University of Washington-Seattle Campus offers 687 different majors and is best known for its informatics, environmental science, and physician assistant studies programs, which are all nationally ranked 2nd. With a tuition cost of $10,370 for in-state students and $37,071 for those from out-of-state, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is rather high-priced. 77.21% of students graduate moving on to the next phase of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $57,700 per year, which is 39% greater than the national median.
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Seattle, WA
www.washington.edu
A
Rating
52%
Acceptance
56,315
Students
# 15
Ranking
$37,071
Tuition
#16 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Missouri University of Science and Technology is a mid-sized public university located in Rolla, MO ranked 7thin Missouri. It has a total of 7,040 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 79.18% of applicants. Missouri University of Science and Technology offers 118 different majors and is best known for its geological engineering, industrial management, and nuclear engineering programs (nationally ranked 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd respectively). With a tuition cost of $8,512 for in-state students and $26,060 for those from out-of-state, Missouri University of Science and Technology is somewhat moderately pricey. 61.41% of students graduate beginning the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $71,200 per year, which is 71% greater than the national median.
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Rolla, MO
https://www.mst.edu/
B+
Rating
79%
Acceptance
9,265
Students
# 114
Ranking
$26,060
Tuition
#17 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Princeton University is a mid-sized private university located in Princeton, NJ ranked 5thin America. It has a total of 5,535 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 5.78% of applicants. Princeton University offers 125 different majors and is best known for its ecology and evolutionary biology, molecular biology, and classics and classical languages literatures and linguistics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $51,870 per year, Princeton University is exceptionally high-priced. 88.56% of students graduate moving on to the next stage of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $74,700 per year, which is 80% greater than the national median.
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Princeton, NJ
www.princeton.edu
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
8,720
Students
# 5
Ranking
$51,870
Tuition
#18 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
University of Florida is a very large public university located in Gainesville, FL ranked 78thin the United States. It has a total of 38,645 full-time undergraduate students and is somewhat competitive, accepting 36.58% of applicants. University of Florida offers 433 different majors and is best known for its exercise physiology, microbiological sciences and immunology, and family and community services programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $4,477 for students from Florida and $25,694 for those from out-of-state, University of Florida is reasonably costly. 85.38% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $56,000 per year, which is 35% over the national median.
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Gainesville, FL
www.ufl.edu/
A+
Rating
37%
Acceptance
58,749
Students
# 8
Ranking
$25,694
Tuition
#19 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Virginia Military Institute is a small public liberal arts college located in Lexington, VA ranked 219thin America. It has a total of 1,738 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 59.54% of applicants. Virginia Military Institute offers 14 different majors and is best known for its foreign languages and literatures, civil engineering, and international relations and affairs programs (nationally ranked 7th, 19th, and 23rd respectively). With a tuition cost of $9,284 for students from Virginia and $36,128 for those from out-of-state, Virginia Military Institute is reasonably expensive. 70.7% of students graduate moving on to the next phase of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $65,700 per year, which is 58% greater than the national median.
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Lexington, VA
www.vmi.edu
A
Rating
60%
Acceptance
1,738
Students
# 59
Ranking
$36,128
Tuition
#20 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University is a large private university located in Pittsburgh, PA ranked 21stin the nation. It has a total of 7,068 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 15.44% of applicants. Carnegie Mellon University offers 321 different majors and is best known for its electrical and electronics engineering, statistics, and information technology programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $55,816 per year, Carnegie Mellon University is exceptionally expensive. 78.26% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, joining the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $83,600 per year, which is 101% over the national median.
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Pittsburgh, PA
www.cmu.edu/
A+
Rating
15%
Acceptance
15,143
Students
# 21
Ranking
$55,816
Tuition
#21 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Northeastern University is a very large private university located in Boston, MA ranked 36thin America. It has a total of 18,753 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 18.05% of applicants. Northeastern University offers 186 different majors and is best known for its human services, physical therapy, and data modeling and database administration programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $52,420 per year, Northeastern University is very costly. 73.11% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $67,400 per year, which is 62% over the national median.
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Boston, MA
www.northeastern.edu
A+
Rating
18%
Acceptance
28,374
Students
# 35
Ranking
$52,420
Tuition
#22 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a very large public university located in Raleigh, NC ranked 134thin the US. It has a total of 28,147 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 45.13% of applicants. North Carolina State University at Raleigh offers 294 different majors and is best known for its animal sciences, forestry, and botany programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $6,535 for students from North Carolina and $26,654 for those from out-of-state, North Carolina State University at Raleigh is somewhat moderately expensive. 73.33% of students graduate ready to the next phase of their lives, entering the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $52,500 per year, which is 26% greater than the national median.
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Raleigh, NC
www.ncsu.edu
A
Rating
45%
Acceptance
39,822
Students
# 27
Ranking
$26,654
Tuition
#23 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Stevens Institute of Technology is a mid-sized private university located in Hoboken, NJ ranked 65thin the United States. It has a total of 3,462 full-time undergraduate students and is somewhat competitive, with a 39.96% acceptance rate. Stevens Institute of Technology offers 133 different majors and is best known for its computer engineering, financial mathematics, and music technology programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $52,134 per year, Stevens Institute of Technology is very expensive. 77.16% of students graduate beginning the next phase of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $89,200 per year, which is 115% above the national median.
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Hoboken, NJ
www.stevens.edu
A+
Rating
40%
Acceptance
7,990
Students
# 60
Ranking
$52,134
Tuition
#24 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Cornell University is a very large private university located in Ithaca, NY ranked 11thin the United States. It has a total of 15,464 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, with a 10.85% acceptance rate. Cornell University offers 323 different majors and is best known for its human resources, agricultural business and management, and agriculture programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $56,550 per year, Cornell University is exceptionally pricey. 89.35% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $77,200 per year, which is 86% above the national median.
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Ithaca, NY
www.cornell.edu
A+
Rating
11%
Acceptance
24,189
Students
# 11
Ranking
$56,550
Tuition
#25 Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
Columbia University in the City of New York is a very large private university located in New York, NY ranked 9thin the United States. It has a total of 8,628 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 5.45% of applicants. Columbia University in the City of New York offers 467 different majors and is best known for its sustainability studies, art history, and slavic baltic and albanian languages literatures and linguistics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $58,920 per year, Columbia University in the City of New York is exceptionally high-priced. 78.72% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $83,300 per year, which is 101% above the national median.
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New York, NY
www.columbia.edu
A+
Rating
5%
Acceptance
33,301
Students
# 9
Ranking
$58,920
Tuition