Best Small Colleges for Engineering
Quite a few of the country’s best undergraduate schools of engineering are housed within large universities. Within these institutions, undergraduate populations are usually quite high—from 7,000 at Stanford to 31,000 at UC Berkeley. Those looking to study engineering at a top program while simultaneously enjoying the intimate and supportive environment of a liberal arts college often have trouble locating a list of best engineering schools meeting this unique criteria….until now.
The schools making College Transitions’ list of Best Small Colleges for Engineering Majors all have expert faculty, a wide variety of engineering concentrations, top-notch facilities, and strong graduate outcomes. Click the links below (links coming soon) for more information about each college's engineering program. We also included the undergraduate enrollment of each school, the percentage of overall degrees conferred in engineering, and the number of alumni employed at some of the most desirable companies/organizations that hire large numbers of engineers (Amazon, Apple, Boeing, ExxonMobil, Google, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, NASA, SpaceX, and Tesla). We recognize that not every alum employed at these companies was necessarily an engineering major, but we believe this will give prospective engineering students a good idea about industry and alumni connections in the field. Lastly, you will find the most current admissions-related data for each institution.
Last updated September 10, 2020
| Institution | Percent of Total Degrees | Undergraduate Enrollment | Admission Rate | Number of Alumni at Top Engineering Firms | ACT Composite Middle-50% | SAT Math Middle 50% | SAT R/W Middle 50% | Rank Top 10% | Rank Top 25% | Rank Top 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucknell University | 15% | 3,627 | 34% | 331 | 28-32 | 635-730 | 620-700 | 58% | 83% | 98% |
| California Institute of Technology | 35% | 948 | 6% | 1,465 | 35-36 | 790-800 | 740-760 | 99% | 100% | 100% |
| Clarkson University | 61% | 3,091 | 75% | 562 | 23-30 | 600-690 | 560-660 | 37% | 69% | 94% |
| Dartmouth College | 9% | 4,417 | 8% | 946 | 32-35 | 730-790 | 710-770 | 95% | 99% | 100% |
| Harvey Mudd College | 39% | 889 | 14% | 497 | 33-35 | 780-800 | 710-770 | 90% | 100% | 100% |
| Kettering University | 85% | 1,880 | 73% | 212 | 24-30 | 610-700 | 580-660 | 46% | 76% | 95% |
| Lafayette College | 18% | 2,642 | 31% | 227 | 28-33 | 630-740 | 620-700 | 54% | 81% | 97% |
| Lehigh University | 26% | 5,407 | 32% | 830 | 29-33 | 660-760 | 620-690 | 58% | 85% | 97% |
| Olin College of Engineering | 100% | 390 | 16% | 142 | 34-35 | 760-800 | 700-760 | Not Reported | Not Reported | Not Reported |
| Rice University | 18% | 3,992 | 9% | 1,392 | 33-35 | 750-800 | 720-770 | 93% | 99% | 100% |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 73% | 2,085 | 74% | 393 | 27-33 | 650-760 | 600-700 | 61% | 86% | 100% |
| Smith College | 5% | 2,502 | 32% | 204 | 30-33 | 660-780 | 670-740 | 75% | 96% | 100% |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | 71% | 3,230 | 40% | 1,462 | 31-34 | 700-780 | 640-720 | 74% | 94% | 100% |
| Swarthmore College | 6% | 1,559 | 9% | 223 | 31-35 | 700-790 | 680-750 | 87% | 100% | 100% |
| Trinity College (CT) | 4% | 2,182 | 34% | 136 | 29-32 | 670-750 | 630-710 | 46% | 76% | 95% |
| Trinity University (TX) | 7% | 2,528 | 34% | 153 | 29-32 | 670-750 | 630-710 | 46% | 76% | 95% |
| Union College (NY) | 22% | 2,206 | 43% | 149 | 27-32 | 620-740 | 600-680 | 63% | 86% | 98% |
| United States Military Academy | 34% | 4,589 | 10% | N/A | 25-30 | 590-700 | 570-680 | 48% | 71% | 94% |
| United States Naval Academy | 42% | 4,512 | 8% | 741 | 26-32 | 620-750 | 620-710 | 54% | 81% | 95% |
| University of Tulsa | 6% | 3,269 | 36% | 238 | 24-31 | 540-690 | 550-670 | 52% | 79% | 95% |
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