Best Ivy League For Engineering Degrees In 2025

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 1, 2025, 11:10 AM

best ivy league for engineering degrees in 2025

Engineering remains one of the most sought-after and competitive fields in higher education, and the Ivy League continues to attract top talent from around the world. As we move through 2025, new data and rankings provide a clear picture of which Ivy League schools are leading the way in engineering education and research. Recent rankings highlight the following Ivy League schools as leaders in engineering: Ivy League engineering programs remain highly selective, with acceptance rates often in the single digits. However, Cornell University is generally regarded as having the highest acceptance rate among the Ivies for engineering, making it a strategic choice for applicants seeking a balance of prestige and accessibility. Applying to Ivy League universities for undergraduate engineering programs involves a highly competitive, multi-step process.

Here’s a concise guide based on the latest requirements and procedures: Each Ivy League university has its own specific deadlines and requirements, so always check the official admissions website for the most current details. Before you can make your mark as an engineer, you need to find the graduate school Before you can make your mark as an engineer, you need to find the graduate school that can best help you build your skills. With the U.S. News rankings of the top engineering schools, narrow your search by location, tuition, school size and test scores.

Read the methodology » For full rankings, GRE scores and student debt data, sign up for the U.S. News Engineering School Compass. For high school students from all over the world who want to pursue a degree – and later a career – in engineering, there is no doubt that you have the best Ivy League... After all, the Ivy League schools offer some of the most advanced, competitive, and prestigious schools in not only the United States, but also the entire world. However, even if a high school student knows they want to go to an Ivy League school for engineering, they may still be wondering what the best Ivy League school for engineering is.

What are the best schools in the Ivy League when it comes to engineering? While all of their different schools and departments are exceptional, there is no doubt that some schools are simply better options for others when it comes to engineering. Luckily, we’ve taken the time to break down which Ivy League schools are the best for students who are committed to engineering as a degree and career path. In case you do not already know, the official members of the Ivy League are Yale University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Cornell University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Brown University and Dartmouth University. These eight schools are amongst the most prestigious and competitive in the entire world and also have some of the largest endowments in the country. Discover the Times Higher Education rankings for the best engineering schools in the US 2025.

This list highlights the top-ranked universities for engineering in the US, based on the Times Higher Education Subject Rankings: Engineering 2025. These rankings provide valuable insights into the leading institutions for engineering education and research. A total of 145 US universities have been ranked for their excellence in teaching, research, industry collaboration, and international outlook. The rankings are based on a rigorous methodology designed by Times Higher Education’s data experts, ensuring accuracy and reliability for students, academics, and industry leaders worldwide. Choosing the best engineering school is a crucial step for prospective students. The Times Higher Education Engineering Rankings help identify universities with strong reputations in teaching, research, and industry collaboration.

One of the most popular career paths for students to follow these days is engineering, in part for the lucrative earnings they can expect. Thus, many local students seek admission to colleges known for strong programs in a multitude of engineering specialties. While some colleges allow students to simply apply as engineering majors, others want them to specify their preferred niche: aeronautical, biological/agricultural, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial/ manufacturing, materials, mechanical, or petroleum. The top overall engineering schools, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges guide, are MIT, Stanford University, University of California - Berkeley, Georgia Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon... Other schools, still in the Top 20 but a bit easier to gain admission to, include Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, Ohio State University, and Penn State University.

Students who know the specific area of engineering they favor can easily identify the strongest programs. For example, according to the Best Colleges guide, University of Delaware ranks No. 4 in the country for chemical engineering. This is due, in part, because Delaware is the headquarters of DuPont which employs 24,000 people and is popular with chemical engineers. The University of Delaware has an overall acceptance rate of 65%, typically making it a target school for most strong students. By now, whether you’ve been told about them at a young age, know someone attending one of them, or just discovered them, my guess is that you’ve heard of the Ivy League schools.

But do you really know them? Most often regarded as the best schools in America, if not in the world, the Ivies’ prestige has inspired countless students to aim for their dreams, but let’s go a little deeper. What are the Ivy League rankings? How are the Ivy League schools ranked? Who in the world ranks them? What is the best Ivy League school?

And most importantly: What are your chances of getting in? Try asking these questions to your family and friends, and you’ll quickly find that reaching a mutual consensus is a rather ambitious idea, much like asking them to name the same best restaurants or... Ivy League rankings or not, the answer all depends on the person. And Ivy League school rankings depend on a variety of factors (academic reputation, students’ future careers, quality of livelihood) – but ultimately, you’ll need to figure out what works best for you. Getting into any one of these schools is a tremendous accomplishment worth celebrating, considering how difficult it is to receive that admissions letter. You’ll come across many lists of Ivy League school rankings that delve into the overall quality of their academics.

Major publications releasing such Ivy League rankings include Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, and other outlets that focus on education. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that these publications create their Ivy League rankings based on different sources. For example, U.S. News & World Report focuses on the overall academic reputation of the universities; they offer peer-assessed surveys to university officials and high school counselors to make such conclusions. Alternatively, a publication like Forbes will focus on post-graduate outcomes such as salaries, student debt after graduation, and prestigious accomplishments, such as winning the Nobel Prize (no pressure).

Being aware of such ranking criteria will be helpful in understanding which Ivy League school could be best for you. Let’s take a closer look at what the Ivy League rankings would look like if acceptance rate was the sole factor: Expert guidance to help students reach their dream college Early prep for future college admissions success Get recruited to play your sport at a top university Strategic help for competitive master’s & PhD programs

Applying now? Get the most trusted admissions “final check” For its 2025 edition, US News and World Report dropped two factors that it previously used as criteria to determine a given college’s national ranking — first generation graduation rate and first generation graduation... It also heightened the importance of some preexisting factors to its methodology: Pell graduation rate and Pell graduation rate performance. While US News is the oldest and most well-known college rankings publication, other publications have grown in prominence in recent years, most notably the college rankings system that The Wall Street Journal launched in... Yet none yet hold a candle to US News in terms of their popular appeal.

US News’ recent changes in methodology over the last few years came after a number of universities withdrew from providing their data to the organization’s rankings. In addition to Columbia University as a whole, a number of Ivy League graduate programs stopped participating, as well as a number of non-Ivy League schools. In the end, each student will have their own criteria for determining what school is right for them — their interests, their passions, and their needs. US News and other rankings can be a helpful guide and a source of information. But the best way to get to know which college is right for you comes, of course, through a campus visit and serious, thoughtful research. Below is an analysis of US News’ 2025 ranking for each of the eight Ivy League schools followed by Ivy Coach’s own ranking:

Best Ivy League For Engineering Degrees In 2025

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