It's a fact that anyone willing to get a well-paid job in the world like to choose Engineering as their career, especially those who love to study science and are an enthusiast of technology and science-related stuff. To get the best out of the engineering industry, one needs to be sure about being the best and have the right set of skills that the industry expects. Many of you must be dreaming of studying at the world's best engineering colleges that can give you a great start, but before this, we need to know the list of top colleges of engineering in the world. In this article, we are providing you with the best engineering colleges around the world, but that doesn't mean that you should disregard other engineering colleges which are not on the list. One should always explore the best suitable options for them when it comes to studying abroad. So without further ado, here is the list of Top Ten Engineering Colleges in the World:
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
MIT is one of the most prestigious and well-renowned universities in the world. It was established in 1861 as a private land grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. It was founded to respond to and support the rapid industrialisation of the United States. Since its inception, it has played a key role in the development of modern science & technology. According to the QS World Ranking 2021, MIT is the number one university for engineering and technology in the world.
Though it is not new, it has always been among the top academic institutions in the world. It has a 166-acre urban campus and a major number of other off-campus facilities like the Bates Center, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Haystack Observatory, and two affiliated laboratories, Whitehead and Broad Institutes. It is a member of the Association of American Universities and receives Solan Research Fellowship more than any other North American University.
To date, it has 98 Nobel Laureates, 8 Field Medalists, and 26 Turing Awards winners who are affiliated with MIT as researchers, faculty members or alumni. In addition to this, there are 29 National Medals of Science and Technology recipients, 58 National Medals of Science recipients, 80 Marshal Scholars, 50 MacArthur Fellows, and 41 Astronauts and Chief Scientists of the US Air Force have been affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There are many notable alumni of MIT who founded or co-founded many reputed companies like Texas Instruments, Intel, Apotex, Koch Industries, Qualcomm etc. Some of the most famous alumni of this University are
- Buzz Aldrin - Apollo 11 Astronaut
- Virgilio Barco Vargas - President of Columbia
- Richard Feynman - Physicist and Nobel Laureate
- Mike Massimino - Astronaut and Engineer
- Benjamin Netanyahu - Former PM of Israel
- Raghuram Rajan - Former Governor of RBI
2. Stanford University, USA
The official name of this University is Leland Stanford Junior University. Leland and Jane Stanford founded Stanford University in 1885 in the memory of their only child Leland Stanford Jr. who died at a very young age. It is a private research university. According to the QS World Ranking 2021, Stanford University ranks 2nd in the world ranking for engineering. It has one of the largest campuses in the United States. The campus is sprawled over 8,180 acres of land, and over 17000 students are enrolled in the university.
To date, it has 29 Turing Award Laureates, 85 Nobel Laureates, and 8 Fields Medalists affiliated with the university as alumni, students, or faculty. The university not only focuses on academics and skill development but also promotes sports among its students. Its students have not only won medals in inter universities and national level but there are 296 Olympic Medalists (including 79 silvers medals and 150 gold medals) who are either students or alumni of Stanford.
It is also among the leading producer of Marshall Scholars, Fulbright Scholars, and Rhodes Scholars. Stanford University is exceptionally noted for its entrepreneurship and is among the successful universities in attracting funds for startups. Stanford University is also the alma mater of one US president, i.e. Herbert Hoover. Some of the most notable alumni of the universities are -
- Blake Ross - Mozilla Firefox Developer
- Ellen Ochoa - Astronaut
- Atul Gawande - Surgeon
- Sally Ride - First US Women in Space
- Premal Shah - Kiva Founder
- Stewart Brand - Internet Pioneer
3. University of Cambridge, UK
The University of Cambridge is a collegiate university, which means a university whose functions are divided between a number of constituent colleges and central administration. This collegiate research university was established in 1209, and in 1231 Henry III granted the Royal Charter. It is the third oldest university in the world and the second oldest university in English speaking world. According to QS World Ranking 2021, it has been ranked 3rd in the category of Engineering Colleges in the world.
A variety of institutions together has formed Cambridge University, including more than 150 academic departments and other institutions that are organised into 6 schools and 31 semi constituent colleges. The distinct feature of this university is that it does not have any main campus; rather, its central facilities and colleges are scattered throughout the city.
Cambridge University is among the wealthiest universities in Europe by endowment size. It is also a part of the Golden Triangle and a member of different university associations. As of now, 7 Turing Awards winners, 11 Field Medalists, 14 British Prime Ministers, 47 Head of States, 194 Olympic Medal winners, and 121 Nobel Laureates belong to this place. Numerous notable alumni have passed from this famous university like
- Charles Babbage - Father of Computer
- Alan Turing - Devised Modern Computing
- Maurice Wilkes - First Programmable Computer
- Ernest Rutherford - Father of Nuclear Physics
- Stephen Hawking - theoretical physicist
- Frank Whittle - Co-inventor of the Jet Engine
- Sam Chaudhary - co-founder of ClassDojo (EdTech Company)
- Herman Narula and Rob Whitehead - Co-founders of Improbable ( MNC developing software for game simulation)
- Rahul Vohra - Founder of Superhuman ( Email messaging app)
4. ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Switzerland
It is a public research university that was founded in 1854 in Zurich by the Federal Government of Swiss. The main mission of this university is to educate scientists and engineers. The primary focus of the school is on engineering, technology, science and maths. It is also the part of Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain.
According to QS World Ranking 2021, it has been ranked 4th in the engineering category in the world and 2nd Best in Europe. In academics and industry, it has a world-class reputation. There is a huge diversity of students who take admission here. From 120 countries, there are more than 24,500 students in the University.
To date, different awards winners are affiliated with this institute, including 1 Turing Award, 2 Field Medalists, 22 Nobel Laureates, and 3 Pritzker Prize Winners. One of the most renowned and famous scientists, Albert Einstein, is among the alumni of this prestigious university. ETH Zurich is also a founding member of the International Alliance of Research Universities, IDEA League ( Alliance of Five Leading Technological Universities of Europe) and CESAER Network. Some of the most notable alumni of this University are
- Albert Einstein - Nobel Prize Winner
- John Von Neumann - Polymath
- Alfred Werner- Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry
- Felix Bloch - Nobel Prize Winner
- Wernher Von Braun - Pioneer of Rocket and Space Technology
- Philippe Kahn- Inventor and Entrepreneur
5. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
NTU is an autonomous university which was established in 1991. Initially, it was established as Nanyang Technological Institute in 1981, but later it was given the status of the national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest university in the country.
According to the QS World Ranking 2021, it has been ranked 5th in the engineering category in the world. As it is a collegiate university, it is organised into different schools and colleges that include the College of Engineering, Nanyang Business School, College of Science, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and National Institute of Education.
It is also famous for its Research Centres of Excellence, such as the Singapore Center on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and the Earth Observatory of Singapore. It is Singapore's largest university campus covering 290 acres of land. There are about 3846 faculty members, and 23,951 students are enrolled in the university. Many notable alumni passed from this university, such as
- Tan Chin Hwee - CEO of Trafigura
- Chinmay Malaviya - CEO and founder - of Ride Panda and Ex co-founder and ex CEO of FoodPanda
- Shirley Meng - Professor of NanoEngineering and 2 time laureate of the Balvatnik Awards of Young Scientists
6. University of Oxford, UK
Oxford University is one of the oldest and most prestigious & renowned universities in the world. It was established in 1096 in Oxford, England. It is a collegiate research university means the functions are divided between constituent colleges and central administration. In the English speaking world, this is the oldest university. It is also the second oldest university in the world that is continuously in operation.
In QS World Ranking 2021, it has been ranked 6th in the category of Engineering. Thirty-nine semi-autonomous constituent colleges, 6 permanent halls and different academic departments organised into 4 divisions made up the university. The University of Oxford doesn't have any main campus, and its facilities and building are scattered all over the city. It has more than 24,515 students and 6,995 academic staff.
To date, there are 3 Field Medalists, 6 Turing Awards winners, 72 Nobel Prize Laureates, and 160 Olympic Medalists. Many notable alumni have passed from the university, including many heads of state and governments around the world and 28 Prime Ministers of the UK. Some of the renowned alumni are-
- Margaret Thatcher- Former Prime Minister of the UK
- Tony Blair- Former Prime Minister of the UK
- Indira Gandhi- Former Prime Minister of India
- Bill Clinton- Former President of the USA
- Manmohan Singh- Former Prime Minister of India
- Malala Yousafzai - Youngest Nobel Prize Laureate
- Stephen Hawking - Scientists
- Wolfram Alpha - Inventor of World Wide Web
7. The University of California, Berkeley, USA
The University of California, Berkeley, also known as UC Berkeley and UCB, was established in 1868. It is not only a public land grant research university but also the first land grant university in the state of California and the University of California's first campus.
According to the QS World Ranking 2021, it has been ranked 7th in the world in the category of Engineering. The university has 14 colleges and schools. It offers more than 350 courses, and there are a total of 45,057 students enrolled with the university. Berkeley is also among the founding members of the Association of American Universities.
It also hosts many leading institutes of research, such as the Space Science Laboratory and Mathematical Science Research Institute. It has also founded three national laboratories at Livermore, Berkeley and Los Alamos. To date, the Berkeley has 114 Nobel Laureates, 14 Field Medalists, 25 Turing Award Winners, 30 Wolf Prize Winner, 34 Pulitzer Awards, 68 National Medals of Science, 108 MacArthur "Genius Grants", 19 Academy Awards, 223 Olympic Medals (121 Gold Medals). Some of the notable alumni of the university are -
- Earl Warren - Former Chief Justice of the United States, Governor of California
- Steven Chu- Nobel Laureate and United States Secretary of Energy
- Jennifer Granholm - United States Secretary of energy, Governor of Michigan
- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto - 4th President of Pakistan, 9th PM of Pakistan
- Steve Wozniak - Co-founder of Apple Inc.
- Gordon Moore - Co-founder of semiconductor company Intel
- Eric Schmidt - Executive Chairman of Alphabet
- Natalie Coughlin - Multiple Gold Medal-winning Olympic Swimmer
- Robert McNamara- 5th President of World Bank, 8th United States Secretary of Defence, President of Ford Motor Company
- Daniel Kahneman - Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
- Harold Urey- Nobel laureate and discovered Deuterium
8. Imperial College London, UK
The official name of the Imperial College of London is the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. It is a public research university established in 1907 by a Royal Charter through which Royal School of Mine, Royal College of Science and City and Guilds of London Institute were unified.
According to the QS World Ranking 2021, it is ranked 8th in the world in the Engineering category. The main campus of the college is in South Kensington. White City is an innovation campus. There are more than 27000 students and 4,435 academic staff.
To date, researcher affiliation, staff and students include 1 Turing Award Winner, 2 Breakthrough Prize Winners, 3 Field Medalists, 14 Nobel laureates, 74 Fellow of the Royal Society, 85 Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and 87 Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering. There are many notable alumni of the college, including -
- Rajiv Gandhi - Former Prime Minister of India
- Ralph Robins - CEO of Rolls Royce
- Chew Choon Seng - CEO of Singapore Airlines
- Cyrus Pallonji Mistry- Former Chairman of Tata Group
- Sir Edward Frankland - Originator of the theory of chemical valency
9. National University of Singapore, Singapore
The National University of Singapore was established in 1905 in Queenstown, Singapore. It is one of the oldest autonomous and collegiate research Universities in Singapore. It is counted among the most prestigious institutions for academics not only in the Asia Pacific but also around the world. It has played a key role in the development of science and technology.
According to the QS World Ranking 2021, it has been ranked 9th in the category of Engineering in the world. It has over 35,908 students that are enrolled and 2,555 academic staff. The National University of Singapore has 1 Tang Prize Laureate, 1 Nobel Prize Laureate, and one Vautrin Lud Laureate. Some of the notable alumni of the university are
- R Nathan - 6th President of Singapore
- Abdul Razak Hussein - 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia
- Olivia Lum- CEO of Hyflux Group
- Min Liang Tan - CEO of Razer Inc
- Margaret Chan - Director-General of the World Health Organisation
10. Tsinghua University, China
Tsinghua University was established in 1911 in Beijing, China, as a national public research university. The Ministry of Education funds it. It is a member of Project 985, Project 211 and Double First Class University Plan. It is also a member of the C9 League. According to the QS World Ranking 2021, it has been ranked 10th in the Engineering category in the world. It has also been ranked 1st in Asia by The Asia University Ranking and the U.S News and World Report. It has over 50,390 students enrolled and 3,565 academic staff. Some of the notable alumni of the University are
- Xi Jinping - President of China
- Hu Jintao - Former President of China
- Yang Chen Ning - Nobel Prize in Physics
- Shiing Shen Chern - Wolf Prize in Mathematics