24 Best Civil Engineering schools in Pennsylvania

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Pennsylvania ranked based on their research performance in Civil Engineering. A graph of 810K citations received by 22.5K academic papers made by 24 universities in Pennsylvania was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Pennsylvania State University

University Park

For Civil Engineering

#13 in the United States

#15 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Average SAT: 1330
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 67%

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

For Civil Engineering

#29 in the United States

#31 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $23,570

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh

For Civil Engineering

#45 in the United States

#52 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $35,552

4. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

For Civil Engineering

#59 in the United States

#68 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 58%
Average SAT: 1370
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 74%

5. Lehigh University

Bethlehem

For Civil Engineering

#82 in the United States

#97 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Average SAT: 1435
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $34,154

6. Drexel University

Philadelphia

For Civil Engineering

#101 in the United States

#120 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1340
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $42,801

7. Temple University

Philadelphia

For Civil Engineering

#128 in the United States

#153 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $14,837
Enrollment: 29,640

8. Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia

For Civil Engineering

#182 in the United States

#213 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Average SAT: 1245
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $29,325

9. California University of Pennsylvania

California

For Civil Engineering

#218 in the United States

#251 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $6,250
Enrollment: 6,885

10. Villanova University

Villanova

For Civil Engineering

#230 in the United States

#265 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Average SAT: 1453
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $37,201

11. Bucknell University

Lewisburg

For Civil Engineering

#241 in the United States

#278 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 29%
Average SAT: 1390
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $39,003

12. Pennsylvania State University - College of Medicine

Hershey

For Civil Engineering

#268 in the United States

#308 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Founded: 1967

13. Moore College of Art and Design

Philadelphia

For Civil Engineering

#296 in the United States

#337 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Average SAT: 1280
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $43,626

14. Duquesne University

Pittsburgh

For Civil Engineering

#335 in the United States

#379 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $37,917

15. Lafayette College

Easton

For Civil Engineering

#353 in the United States

#400 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Average SAT: 1425
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $38,442

16. Widener University

Chester

For Civil Engineering

#386 in the United States

#436 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Average SAT: 1185
Net Price: $26,778
Receiving Aid: 100%

17. Franklin and Marshall College

Lancaster

For Civil Engineering

#407 in the United States

#459 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Average SAT: 1387
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $43,987

18. University of the Sciences

Philadelphia

For Civil Engineering

#441 in the United States

#493 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Net Price: $29,948
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $14,493

19. Gettysburg College

Gettysburg

For Civil Engineering

#442 in the United States

#494 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Average SAT: 1365
Average ACT: 31
Net Price: $32,769

20. Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr

For Civil Engineering

#460 in the United States

#512 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 29%
Average SAT: 1395
Average ACT: 31
Net Price: $33,221

21. Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Indiana

For Civil Engineering

#461 in the United States

#513 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Average SAT: 1075
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 100%

22. West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester

For Civil Engineering

#465 in the United States

#518 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Average SAT: 1185
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 88%

23. Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia

For Civil Engineering

#477 in the United States

#530 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $31,205

24. Swarthmore College

Swarthmore

For Civil Engineering

#485 in the United States

#539 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 7%
Average SAT: 1525
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $22,469

Closest to Pennsylvania states to learn Civil Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Maryland	13	6
District of Columbia	6	100
New Jersey	13	32
New York	58	11
Connecticut	9	38
Virginia	15	19
Ohio	20	17
Massachusetts	26	3
Rhode Island	4	90
Vermont	3	141
New Hampshire	3	137
North Carolina	14	37
Indiana	14	21
Kentucky	8	68
Michigan	15	4
South Carolina	9	70
Maine	6	133
Tennessee	12	57
Illinois	22	9
Georgia	13	15
Wisconsin	13	7
Alabama	9	79
Iowa	4	36
Missouri	9	58
Mississippi	5	134
Minnesota	8	23
Arkansas	7	131
Florida	21	25
Louisiana	9	55
Kansas	5	75
South Dakota	5	163
Nebraska	5	61
Oklahoma	4	80
North Dakota	2	166
Texas	39	12
Colorado	10	30
New Mexico	3	108
Montana	3	135
Puerto Rico	3	251
Utah	5	48
Idaho	3	139
Arizona	3	27
Washington	11	8
Oregon	7	51
California	53	1
Alaska	3	98