The Best Engineering Schools That You CAN Get Accepted To!

Engineering has become one of the most popular majors in recent years for students who may be asking themselves “What Should I Major In College?”.  And even though the very best engineering schools in the country may be out of your reach academically, we’re going to talk about 5 schools that have a great reputation for excellence, but don’t have the stringent and competitive admissions process as the top engineering schools have.

The pool of applicants that plan to enter into an engineering program has grown relatively quickly over the past decade, and for good reason.  First year graduates can easily clear the $80,000/year mark in terms of salary in the engineering profession, depending on which field you choose to enter into.

Best Engineering Schools …With Easier Admissions

Now, before we begin please do not be misled by the term “easier admissions”.  These schools still have a competitive college admissions  process and won’t accept you if you do not meet their standards.  However, these 5 schools will be less selective than schools like MIT, Stanford or Cal-Berkeley.  At a minimum, you will still need to be in the top 25% of your graduating class and have ACT and/or SAT scores in the top 75th percentile rank.

Also see: What is a Good ACT Score?

In the process of selecting the best engineering schools for our list, we took a handful of criteria into consideration, such as…

• Overall National Rank of Engineering Programs
• Overall Percentage of Applicants Admitted
• National Rank in Specific Engineering Fields

5. The University of Florida
Location: Gainsville, FL
Percentage of Admitted Applicants: 43%
Ranked #4 in Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Besides being located in one of the nicest areas in the country and having some of the top NCAA athletic teams, The University of Florida offers students a quality engineering degree at a relatively affordable price if you live in-state.  They have a comprehensive array of specialties including: Nuclear, Mechanical, Chemical, Biomedical and Aerospace Engineering, just to name a few of the 15 total engineering disciplines they offer!

With a 43% undergraduate acceptance rate, your chances of getting accepted are much better than most of the top tier colleges and you can still earn a very respected degree. 

4. University of Maryland
Location: College Park, MA
Percent applicants admitted: 45%
Ranked #9 in Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical

The A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland comes in at #4 on our list.  They boast a #9 national rank in the field or Aerospace Engineering but also offer degree programs in Chemical, Civil and Mechanical Engineering to list a few.  Additionally, Maryland is one of the limited number of colleges in the U.S. who offer a degree in Fire Protection Engineering.

Their undergraduate acceptance rate comes in at 45%, which makes them relatively selective yet attainable for that “above-average” applicant.

3. Texas A&M University
Location: College Station, TX
Percent applicants admitted: 64%
Ranked #6 in Biological and Agricultural engineering
Ranked #10 in Civil Engineering

Texas A&M is referred to as one of the top colleges in the state of Texas, if not THE best college. (No offense to the Longhorns)  While it’s debatable as to who is actually the best, there’s no doubt that A&M is one of the best engineering schools in the country.  They offer a total of 16 undergraduate degree programs, which is one of the largest in the country.  Some of the notable concentrations are in the areas of Biomedical, Computer, Nuclear, Petroleum and Ocean Engineering.

Coming in at a 64% undergraduate admission rate, your chances of getting accepted there are significantly better than the previous 2 schools we mentioned.  However, you will still need to have impressive grades and test scores if you want to drastically improve your chances of attending.

2. Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) 
Location: Atlanta, GA
Percent applicants admitted: 51%
Percent of students who return for sophomore year: 95%

Ranked #5 Overall
Ranked #2 in Biomedical Engineering
Ranked #2 in Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical
Ranked #2 in Mechanical Engineering
Ranked #3 in Civil Engineering
Ranked #4 in Electrical/Electronic Engineering
Ranked #6 in Computer Engineering
Ranked #9 in Chemical Engineering

Checking in at #2 is Georgia Tech, and judging by the long list of top 10 ranks above, it’s easy to see why.  In fact, of the 8 areas they offer, 7 are listed above in the top 10 rankings.  Georgia Tech offers one of the most prestigious engineering degrees you can earn.  The only reason why they are not listed as #1 is due to their acceptance rate.

At 51% admitted, Georgia Tech would be considered pretty selective but not to the point that you’d need to be in the top 5% of your graduating class.  It will not be easy to get accepted, but for what they offer and having a reputation of being one of the best engineering schools around, you’d be hard pressed to find a better school with easier admissions.  We urge you to take a serious look at Georgia Tech if you are planning a career in the engineering field.

1. Purdue University
Location: West Lafayette, IN
Percent applicants admitted: 68%
Percent of students who return for sophomore year: 90%

Ranked #9 overall
Ranked #1 in Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Ranked #4 in Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering
Ranked #5 in Civil Engineering
Ranked #7 in Mechanical Engineering
Ranked #9 in Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Purdue University, located in the heart of the Midwest, is selected at #1 of our Best Engineering Schools that you can get accepted to.  Purdue is proud to offer 12 different Colleges of Engineering that include: Aeronautics, Ag-Bio, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Construction, Electrical/Computer, Industrial, Materials, Mechanical, Nuclear and also a specialized degree program in Engineering Education geared for those who are pursuing an Engineering education but do not plan to practice engineering.

Purdue is ranked #1 in the country in the area of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and also rank in the top 10 in 4 other concentrations.  One of the biggest reasons we have them at #1 is due to their generous 68% undergraduate admission rate.  This makes a top engineering program attainable for many students who would not otherwise be considered at the more elite and highly selective colleges.
*All rankings are based on 2011 US News Rankings and Reviews
*Undergraduate acceptance rates include all incoming freshman and majors

Will You Get Accepted?

The schools listed above offer an attainable degree for students that simply cannot compete with the likes of the Ivy League colleges.  Applying to the college of engineering within each of these schools will more than likely require a higher GPA and test scores than the average applicant.  But, do not let that discourage you even if you don’t think you’ll get in!  You never know until you apply.

The key is getting off to a good start in high school, and then maintaining that by taking the right courses, making the grade and joining the right clubs and activities.  All of these factor in to any college’s admission decision, so it’s crucial that you have what they are looking for!  In our ebook, we outline exactly what classes to take, what activities look best to colleges, and how to best prepare yourself for the admission process and getting accepted.

Take a look at what some of our former students have to say about it here.

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