Best Universities for Geotechnical Engineering in the World

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in the World ranked based on their research performance in Geotechnical Engineering. A graph of 68.8M citations received by 2.6M academic papers made by 3,548 universities in the World 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. University of California - Berkeley

United States | California

For Geotechnical Engineering

#1 in North America

#1 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Receiving Aid: 63%
Average Aid: $29,608
Enrollment: 45,882

2. China University of Mining and Technology

China | Xuzhou

For Geotechnical Engineering

#1 in Asia

#1 in China

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 37,000
Founded: 1909

3. University of Texas at Austin

United States | Texas

For Geotechnical Engineering

#2 in North America

#2 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Average SAT: 1380
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 65%

4. Tongji University

China | Shanghai

For Geotechnical Engineering

#2 in Asia

#2 in China

Enrollment: 37,000
Founded: 1907

5. Kyoto University

Japan | Kyoto

For Geotechnical Engineering

#3 in Asia

#1 in Japan

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Enrollment: 22,365
Founded: 1897

6. Tsinghua University

China | Beijing

For Geotechnical Engineering

#4 in Asia

#3 in China

Enrollment: 48,739
Founded: 1911

7. Imperial College London

United Kingdom | England

For Geotechnical Engineering

#1 in Europe

#1 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 17,565
Founded: 1907

8. Stanford University

United States | California

For Geotechnical Engineering

#3 in North America

#3 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $25,078

9. Texas A&M University - College Station

United States | Texas

For Geotechnical Engineering

#4 in North America

#4 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1275
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 74%

10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

United States | Massachusetts

For Geotechnical Engineering

#5 in North America

#5 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1550
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $20,996

11. Central South University

China | Changsha

For Geotechnical Engineering

#5 in Asia

#4 in China

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1914

12. Zhejiang University

China | Hangzhou

For Geotechnical Engineering

#6 in Asia

#5 in China

Enrollment: 60,739
Founded: 1897

13. Hohai University

China | Nanjing

For Geotechnical Engineering

#7 in Asia

#6 in China

Founded: 1915

14. Delft University of Technology

Netherlands | Delft

For Geotechnical Engineering

#2 in Europe

#1 in the Netherlands

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 24,703
Founded: 1842

15. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

United States | Michigan

For Geotechnical Engineering

#6 in North America

#6 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 16%
Average SAT: 1445
Average ACT: 33
Receiving Aid: 69%

16. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

United States | Illinois

For Geotechnical Engineering

#7 in North America

#7 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Average SAT: 1415
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 64%

17. Pennsylvania State University

United States | Pennsylvania

For Geotechnical Engineering

#8 in North America

#8 in the United States

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

18. University of Tokyo

Japan | Tokyo

For Geotechnical Engineering

#8 in Asia

#2 in Japan

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 28,918
Founded: 1877

19. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Switzerland | Zurich

For Geotechnical Engineering

#3 in Europe

#1 in Switzerland

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 23,420

20. University of Cambridge

United Kingdom | England

For Geotechnical Engineering

#4 in Europe

#2 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Founded: 1209

21. University of California - Davis

United States | California

For Geotechnical Engineering

#9 in North America

#9 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Receiving Aid: 65%
Average Aid: $24,591
Enrollment: 40,065

22. China University of Petroleum - Beijing

China | Beijing

For Geotechnical Engineering

#9 in Asia

#7 in China

Enrollment: 15,445
Founded: 1953

23. University of British Columbia

Canada | British Columbia

For Geotechnical Engineering

#10 in North America

#1 in Canada

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Enrollment: 71,201
Founded: 1908

24. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

United States | Minnesota

For Geotechnical Engineering

#11 in North America

#10 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1400
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 81%

25. Dalian University of Technology

China | Dalian

For Geotechnical Engineering

#10 in Asia

#8 in China

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 41,000
Founded: 1949

26. Wuhan University

China | Wuhan

For Geotechnical Engineering

#11 in Asia

#9 in China

Enrollment: 60,000
Founded: 1893

27. Nanyang Technological University

Singapore | Singapore City

For Geotechnical Engineering

#12 in Asia

#1 in Singapore

Enrollment: 33,000
Founded: 1955

28. Purdue University

United States | Indiana

For Geotechnical Engineering

#12 in North America

#11 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1340
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 59%

29. Tianjin University

China | Tianjin

For Geotechnical Engineering

#13 in Asia

#10 in China

Enrollment: 35,370
Founded: 1895

30. Shanghai Jiao Tong University

China | Shanghai

For Geotechnical Engineering

#14 in Asia

#11 in China

Enrollment: 47,000
Founded: 1896

31. University of Arizona

United States | Arizona

For Geotechnical Engineering

#13 in North America

#12 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1285
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 96%

32. Cornell University

United States | New York State

For Geotechnical Engineering

#14 in North America

#13 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $26,361

33. University of Alberta

Canada | Alberta

For Geotechnical Engineering

#15 in North America

#2 in Canada

Enrollment: 31,185
Founded: 1908

34. University of Hong Kong

China | Hong Kong

For Geotechnical Engineering

#15 in Asia

#12 in China

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Enrollment: 21,652
Founded: 1911

35. University of Waterloo

Canada | Ontario

For Geotechnical Engineering

#16 in North America

#3 in Canada

Founded: 1957

36. University of Washington - Seattle

United States | Washington

For Geotechnical Engineering

#17 in North America

#14 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Receiving Aid: 56%
Average Aid: $16,156
Enrollment: 56,997

37. University of Wisconsin - Madison

United States | Wisconsin

For Geotechnical Engineering

#18 in North America

#15 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Average SAT: 1450
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 60%

38. Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Switzerland | Lausanne

For Geotechnical Engineering

#5 in Europe

#2 in Switzerland

Enrollment: 12,576

39. Catholic University of Leuven

Belgium | Leuven

For Geotechnical Engineering

#6 in Europe

#1 in Belgium

Enrollment: 62,693
Founded: 1425

40. University of Florida

United States | Florida

For Geotechnical Engineering

#19 in North America

#16 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 24%
Average SAT: 1400
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 94%

41. University of New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Geotechnical Engineering

#1 in Oceania

#1 in Australia

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 63,864
Founded: 1949

42. Harbin Institute of Technology

China | Harbin

For Geotechnical Engineering

#16 in Asia

#13 in China

Acceptance Rate: 16%
Founded: 1920

43. Jilin University

China | Changchun

For Geotechnical Engineering

#17 in Asia

#14 in China

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 68,000
Founded: 1946

44. National University of Singapore

Singapore | Singapore City

For Geotechnical Engineering

#18 in Asia

#2 in Singapore

Enrollment: 30,098
Founded: 1905

45. Technical University of Denmark

Denmark | Kongens Lyngby

For Geotechnical Engineering

#7 in Europe

#1 in Denmark

Acceptance Rate: 38%
Founded: 1829

46. Chongqing University

China | Chongqing

For Geotechnical Engineering

#19 in Asia

#15 in China

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 47,000
Founded: 1929

47. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Geotechnical Engineering

#2 in Oceania

#2 in Australia

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

48. University of Western Australia

Australia | Crawley

For Geotechnical Engineering

#3 in Oceania

#3 in Australia

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1911

49. Colorado State University - Fort Collins

United States | Colorado

For Geotechnical Engineering

#20 in North America

#17 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Receiving Aid: 79%
Average Aid: $10,160
Enrollment: 34,096

50. Chang'an University

China | Xi'an

For Geotechnical Engineering

#20 in Asia

#16 in China

Enrollment: 33,000
Founded: 2000

51. University of Toronto

Canada | Ontario

For Geotechnical Engineering

#21 in North America

#4 in Canada

Enrollment: 102,431
Founded: 1827

52. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Geotechnical Engineering

#4 in Oceania

#4 in Australia

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Enrollment: 78,000
Founded: 1958

53. Ohio State University

United States | Ohio

For Geotechnical Engineering

#22 in North America

#18 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Average SAT: 1395
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 80%

54. Sichuan University

China | Chengdu

For Geotechnical Engineering

#21 in Asia

#17 in China

Enrollment: 44,200
Founded: 1896

55. Harvard University

United States | Massachusetts

For Geotechnical Engineering

#23 in North America

#19 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $17,525

56. University of California - Los Angeles

United States | California

For Geotechnical Engineering

#24 in North America

#20 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Receiving Aid: 59%
Average Aid: $25,627
Enrollment: 47,335

57. Colorado School of Mines

United States | Colorado

For Geotechnical Engineering

#25 in North America

#21 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Average SAT: 1400
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 98%

58. Northwestern University

United States | Illinois

For Geotechnical Engineering

#26 in North America

#22 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $26,830

59. University of Manchester

United Kingdom | England

For Geotechnical Engineering

#8 in Europe

#3 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1824

60. Georgia Institute of Technology

United States | Georgia

For Geotechnical Engineering

#27 in North America

#23 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Average SAT: 1455
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 73%

61. Utrecht University

Netherlands | Utrecht

For Geotechnical Engineering

#9 in Europe

#2 in the Netherlands

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Enrollment: 40,000
Founded: 1636

62. Arizona State University - Tempe

United States | Arizona

For Geotechnical Engineering

#28 in North America

#24 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $12,172
Enrollment: 79,818

63. University of Colorado Boulder

United States | Colorado

For Geotechnical Engineering

#29 in North America

#25 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Average SAT: 1335
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 67%

64. North Carolina State University at Raleigh

United States | North Carolina

For Geotechnical Engineering

#30 in North America

#26 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Average SAT: 1385
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 69%

65. Oregon State University

United States | Oregon

For Geotechnical Engineering

#31 in North America

#27 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1270
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 92%

66. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

United States | Virginia

For Geotechnical Engineering

#32 in North America

#28 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Average SAT: 1365
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 67%

67. University of Oxford

United Kingdom | England

For Geotechnical Engineering

#10 in Europe

#4 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1096

68. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

United States | Louisiana

For Geotechnical Engineering

#33 in North America

#29 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 93%

69. University of Melbourne

Australia | Melbourne

For Geotechnical Engineering

#5 in Oceania

#5 in Australia

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Enrollment: 77,162
Founded: 1853

70. University of Tehran

Iran | Tehran

For Geotechnical Engineering

#22 in Asia

#1 in Iran

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Enrollment: 52,588
Founded: 1934

71. University of Calgary

Canada | Alberta

For Geotechnical Engineering

#34 in North America

#5 in Canada

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Enrollment: 33,000
Founded: 1966

72. Beijing Normal University

China | Beijing

For Geotechnical Engineering

#23 in Asia

#18 in China

Enrollment: 36,482
Founded: 1902

73. Wageningen University

Netherlands | Wageningen

For Geotechnical Engineering

#11 in Europe

#3 in the Netherlands

Enrollment: 12,819
Founded: 1918

74. McGill University

Canada | Quebec State

For Geotechnical Engineering

#35 in North America

#6 in Canada

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment: 37,888
Founded: 1821

75. Shandong University

China | Jinan

For Geotechnical Engineering

#24 in Asia

#19 in China

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 60,000
Founded: 1901

76. University of California-San Diego

United States | California

For Geotechnical Engineering

#36 in North America

#30 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Receiving Aid: 66%
Average Aid: $25,757
Enrollment: 44,256

77. Xi'an Jiaotong University

China | Xi'an

For Geotechnical Engineering

#25 in Asia

#20 in China

Enrollment: 40,346
Founded: 1896

78. Duke University

United States | North Carolina

For Geotechnical Engineering

#37 in North America

#31 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 6%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $21,981

79. Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

India | West Bengal

For Geotechnical Engineering

#26 in Asia

#1 in India

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Founded: 1951

80. China University of Geosciences Beijing

China | Beijing

For Geotechnical Engineering

#27 in Asia

#21 in China

Enrollment: 15,000
Founded: 1952

81. Southeast University

China | Nanjing

For Geotechnical Engineering

#28 in Asia

#22 in China

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 30,664
Founded: 1902

82. Huazhong University of Science and Technology

China | Wuhan

For Geotechnical Engineering

#29 in Asia

#23 in China

Enrollment: 71,970
Founded: 1953

83. University of Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Geotechnical Engineering

#6 in Oceania

#6 in Australia

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

84. University College London

United Kingdom | England

For Geotechnical Engineering

#12 in Europe

#5 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 42,000
Founded: 1826

85. Technical University of Catalonia

Spain | Barcelona

For Geotechnical Engineering

#13 in Europe

#1 in Spain

Enrollment: 29,812

86. Tohoku University

Japan | Sendai

For Geotechnical Engineering

#30 in Asia

#3 in Japan

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 17,975
Founded: 1907

87. Iowa State University

United States | Iowa State

For Geotechnical Engineering

#38 in North America

#32 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1240
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 89%

88. University of California - Santa Barbara

United States | California

For Geotechnical Engineering

#39 in North America

#33 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Receiving Aid: 61%
Average Aid: $24,695
Enrollment: 26,133

89. University of Padua

Italy | Veneto

For Geotechnical Engineering

#14 in Europe

#1 in Italy

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Enrollment: 70,000
Founded: 1222

90. University of Science and Technology Beijing

China | Beijing

For Geotechnical Engineering

#31 in Asia

#24 in China

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1952

91. Princeton University

United States | New Jersey

For Geotechnical Engineering

#40 in North America

#34 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $15,313

92. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

China | Hong Kong

For Geotechnical Engineering

#32 in Asia

#25 in China

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1991

93. KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Sweden | Stockholm

For Geotechnical Engineering

#15 in Europe

#1 in Sweden

Acceptance Rate: 41%
Enrollment: 14,278
Founded: 1827

94. Kyushu University

Japan | Fukuoka

For Geotechnical Engineering

#33 in Asia

#4 in Japan

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 18,813
Founded: 1911

95. University of Leeds

United Kingdom | England

For Geotechnical Engineering

#16 in Europe

#6 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1904

96. Columbia University

United States | New York State

For Geotechnical Engineering

#41 in North America

#35 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $22,520

97. Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Norway | Trondheim

For Geotechnical Engineering

#17 in Europe

#1 in Norway

Enrollment: 44,000
Founded: 1996

98. Seoul National University

South Korea | Seoul

For Geotechnical Engineering

#34 in Asia

#1 in South Korea

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 28,378
Founded: 1946

99. University of Delaware

United States | Delaware

For Geotechnical Engineering

#42 in North America

#36 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Average SAT: 1280
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 94%

100. University of Birmingham

United Kingdom | England

For Geotechnical Engineering

#18 in Europe

#7 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1900

Engineering subfields in the World

Acoustical Engineering4743

Aerospace Engineering4597

Agricultural Engineering1002

Applied/Engineering Physics1530

Architectural Engineering1794

Architecture1417

Automation and Control engineering1944

Automotive Engineering2425

Aviation1003

Biochemical Engineering1395

Biomedical Engineering1852

Biotechnology3382

Chemical Engineering4453

Civil Engineering3746

Computer Engineering2166

Computer Networking4674

Construction Management1223

Electrical Engineering5106

Electronic Engineering3570

Engineering Management1623

Environmental Engineering3007

Firefighting and Fire Science1031

Human-Computer Interaction3051

Industrial Engineering1007

Landscape Architecture1118

Marine Engineering1098

Materials Science5871

Mechanical Engineering5510

Metallurgical Engineering5037

Mining Engineering1031

Nanotechnology4220

Nuclear Engineering1118

Operations Research2326

Optical Engineering5406

Petroleum Engineering1420

Polymer science and Plastics engineering1009

Product and Industrial Design1022

Reliability and Quality Engineering2157

Remote Sensing2461

Renewable Energy Engineering2336

Robotics1645

Structural Engineering4095

Systems Engineering3512

Technical Drawing1153

Telecommunications4794

Transportation Engineering1882