{
  "major": "Civil Engineering",
  "slug": "civil-engineering",
  "field": "Engineering & Architecture",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-civil-engineering-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 224,
  "shown": 25,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "University of California-Berkeley",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 78142,
      "net_price": 13481,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 727496,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "California State University-Los Angeles",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 73178,
      "net_price": 3967,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 715912,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 80673,
      "net_price": 16665,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 740070,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "California State Polytechnic University-Pomona",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 75758,
      "net_price": 11531,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 711456,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "University of California-Los Angeles",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 75510,
      "net_price": 12548,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 704908,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "University of Washington-Tacoma Campus",
      "state": "WA",
      "median_earnings": 73357,
      "net_price": 10163,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 692918,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "school": "California State University-Long Beach",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 73342,
      "net_price": 10440,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 691660,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "school": "California State University-Fullerton",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 72606,
      "net_price": 6555,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 699840,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "school": "California State University-Sacramento",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 71342,
      "net_price": 9338,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 676068,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "school": "California State University-Fresno",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 71093,
      "net_price": 7000,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 682930,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "school": "Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus",
      "state": "GA",
      "median_earnings": 75688,
      "net_price": 12116,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 708416,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "school": "University of California-Davis",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 75165,
      "net_price": 14741,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 692686,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "school": "University of California-Irvine",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 73835,
      "net_price": 14251,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 681346,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "school": "San Diego State University",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 73584,
      "net_price": 15364,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 674384,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "school": "University of Washington-Seattle Campus",
      "state": "WA",
      "median_earnings": 73357,
      "net_price": 14091,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 677206,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "school": "University of Florida",
      "state": "FL",
      "median_earnings": 72889,
      "net_price": 6541,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 702726,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 17,
      "school": "California State University-Chico",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 72350,
      "net_price": 14480,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 665580,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 18,
      "school": "University of Alaska Anchorage",
      "state": "AK",
      "median_earnings": 72140,
      "net_price": 15301,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 660196,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 19,
      "school": "University of Alaska Fairbanks",
      "state": "AK",
      "median_earnings": 71312,
      "net_price": 10892,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 669552,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 20,
      "school": "San Francisco State University",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 68256,
      "net_price": 12278,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 633448,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 21,
      "school": "CUNY City College",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 67194,
      "net_price": 3776,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 656836,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 22,
      "school": "University of Maryland-College Park",
      "state": "MD",
      "median_earnings": 76731,
      "net_price": 15678,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 704598,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 23,
      "school": "George Mason University",
      "state": "VA",
      "median_earnings": 75822,
      "net_price": 17915,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 686560,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 24,
      "school": "Washington State University",
      "state": "WA",
      "median_earnings": 74841,
      "net_price": 14971,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 688526,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 25,
      "school": "University of Houston",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 74822,
      "net_price": 14276,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 691116,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}