Best Universities for Systems Engineering in the World

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in the World ranked based on their research performance in Systems Engineering. A graph of 47.1M citations received by 1.87M academic papers made by 3,462 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. Carnegie Mellon University

United States | Pennsylvania

For Systems Engineering

#1 in North America

#1 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $32,964

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

United States | Massachusetts

For Systems Engineering

#2 in North America

#2 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $21,519

3. Stanford University

United States | California

For Systems Engineering

#3 in North America

#3 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $17,998

4. University of California - Berkeley

United States | California

For Systems Engineering

#4 in North America

#4 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Receiving Aid: 61%
Average Aid: $25,951
Enrollment: 45,699

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

United States | Georgia

For Systems Engineering

#5 in North America

#5 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 16%
Average SAT: 1430
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 73%

6. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

United States | Illinois

For Systems Engineering

#6 in North America

#6 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Average SAT: 1390
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 61%

7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

United States | Michigan

For Systems Engineering

#7 in North America

#7 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 18%
Average SAT: 1440
Average ACT: 33
Receiving Aid: 66%

8. Tsinghua University

China | Beijing

For Systems Engineering

#1 in Asia

#1 in China

Enrollment: 48,739
Founded: 1911

9. University College London

United Kingdom | England

For Systems Engineering

#1 in Europe

#1 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 42,000
Founded: 1826

10. University of Toronto

Canada | Ontario

For Systems Engineering

#8 in North America

#1 in Canada

Enrollment: 27,651
Founded: 1827

11. University of Texas at Austin

United States | Texas

For Systems Engineering

#9 in North America

#8 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 29%
Average SAT: 1360
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 69%

12. University of Washington - Seattle

United States | Washington

For Systems Engineering

#10 in North America

#9 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Receiving Aid: 55%
Average Aid: $14,390
Enrollment: 55,620

13. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Switzerland | Zurich

For Systems Engineering

#2 in Europe

#1 in Switzerland

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 23,420

14. Delft University of Technology

Netherlands | Delft

For Systems Engineering

#3 in Europe

#1 in the Netherlands

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

15. University of Cambridge

United Kingdom | England

For Systems Engineering

#4 in Europe

#2 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Founded: 1209

16. University of Southern California

United States | California

For Systems Engineering

#11 in North America

#10 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Average SAT: 1495
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $41,496

17. University of Maryland - College Park

United States | Maryland

For Systems Engineering

#12 in North America

#11 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Average SAT: 1445
Average ACT: 34
Receiving Aid: 65%

18. Pennsylvania State University

United States | Pennsylvania

For Systems Engineering

#13 in North America

#12 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Average SAT: 1310
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 66%

19. University of California-San Diego

United States | California

For Systems Engineering

#14 in North America

#13 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Receiving Aid: 70%
Average Aid: $24,176
Enrollment: 42,376

20. Purdue University

United States | Indiana

For Systems Engineering

#15 in North America

#14 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1325
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 60%

21. National University of Singapore

Singapore | Singapore City

For Systems Engineering

#2 in Asia

#1 in Singapore

Enrollment: 30,098
Founded: 1905

22. Harvard University

United States | Massachusetts

For Systems Engineering

#16 in North America

#15 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 3%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $17,900

23. University of Hong Kong

China | Hong Kong

For Systems Engineering

#3 in Asia

#2 in China

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

24. Imperial College London

United Kingdom | England

For Systems Engineering

#5 in Europe

#3 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 17,565
Founded: 1907

25. Catholic University of Leuven

Belgium | Leuven

For Systems Engineering

#6 in Europe

#1 in Belgium

Enrollment: 62,693
Founded: 1425

26. University of Oxford

United Kingdom | England

For Systems Engineering

#7 in Europe

#4 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1096

27. Shanghai Jiao Tong University

China | Shanghai

For Systems Engineering

#4 in Asia

#3 in China

Enrollment: 47,000
Founded: 1896

28. Technical University of Munich

Germany | Bavaria

For Systems Engineering

#8 in Europe

#1 in Germany

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment: 44,000
Male:Female: 63:37
Founded: 1868

29. RWTH Aachen University

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Systems Engineering

#9 in Europe

#2 in Germany

Enrollment: 47,521
Founded: 1870

30. Columbia University

United States | New York State

For Systems Engineering

#17 in North America

#16 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1530
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $20,869

31. University of Pennsylvania

United States | Pennsylvania

For Systems Engineering

#18 in North America

#17 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 6%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $26,017

32. University of Wisconsin - Madison

United States | Wisconsin

For Systems Engineering

#19 in North America

#18 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Average SAT: 1435
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 60%

33. University of Tokyo

Japan | Tokyo

For Systems Engineering

#5 in Asia

#1 in Japan

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 28,479
Founded: 1877

34. Polytechnic University of Milan

Italy | Lombardy

For Systems Engineering

#10 in Europe

#1 in Italy

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Enrollment: 48,645
Male:Female: 65:35
Founded: 1863

35. Ohio State University

United States | Ohio

For Systems Engineering

#20 in North America

#19 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Average SAT: 1405
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 75%

36. University of California - Los Angeles

United States | California

For Systems Engineering

#21 in North America

#20 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Receiving Aid: 60%
Average Aid: $22,441
Enrollment: 46,678

37. Princeton University

United States | New Jersey

For Systems Engineering

#22 in North America

#21 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $19,811

38. Nanyang Technological University

Singapore | Singapore City

For Systems Engineering

#6 in Asia

#2 in Singapore

Enrollment: 33,000
Founded: 1955

39. University of British Columbia

Canada | British Columbia

For Systems Engineering

#23 in North America

#2 in Canada

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

40. University of Waterloo

Canada | Ontario

For Systems Engineering

#24 in North America

#3 in Canada

Founded: 1957

41. Cornell University

United States | New York State

For Systems Engineering

#25 in North America

#22 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Average SAT: 1520
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $26,455

42. University of Manchester

United Kingdom | England

For Systems Engineering

#11 in Europe

#5 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1824

43. University of Edinburgh

United Kingdom | Scotland

For Systems Engineering

#12 in Europe

#6 in the United Kingdom

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Founded: 1583

44. Xi'an Jiaotong University

China | Xi'an

For Systems Engineering

#7 in Asia

#4 in China

Enrollment: 40,346
Founded: 1896

45. New York University

United States | New York State

For Systems Engineering

#26 in North America

#23 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Average SAT: 1525
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $30,730

46. Texas A&M University - College Station

United States | Texas

For Systems Engineering

#27 in North America

#24 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 77%

47. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

United States | Minnesota

For Systems Engineering

#28 in North America

#25 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1395
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 81%

48. Johns Hopkins University

United States | Maryland

For Systems Engineering

#29 in North America

#26 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Average SAT: 1555
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $22,844

49. University of New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Systems Engineering

#1 in Oceania

#1 in Australia

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

50. Beihang University

China | Beijing

For Systems Engineering

#8 in Asia

#5 in China

Founded: 1952

51. Arizona State University - Tempe

United States | Arizona

For Systems Engineering

#30 in North America

#27 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $11,992
Enrollment: 79,593

52. Zhejiang University

China | Hangzhou

For Systems Engineering

#9 in Asia

#6 in China

Enrollment: 60,739
Founded: 1897

53. University of Sheffield

United Kingdom | England

For Systems Engineering

#13 in Europe

#7 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1905

54. Tianjin University

China | Tianjin

For Systems Engineering

#10 in Asia

#7 in China

Enrollment: 35,370
Founded: 1895

55. University of Amsterdam

Netherlands | Amsterdam

For Systems Engineering

#14 in Europe

#2 in the Netherlands

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Enrollment: 41,000
Founded: 1632

56. Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Switzerland | Lausanne

For Systems Engineering

#15 in Europe

#2 in Switzerland

Enrollment: 12,576

57. Harbin Institute of Technology

China | Harbin

For Systems Engineering

#11 in Asia

#8 in China

Acceptance Rate: 16%
Founded: 1920

58. McGill University

Canada | Quebec State

For Systems Engineering

#31 in North America

#4 in Canada

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

59. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

United States | Virginia

For Systems Engineering

#32 in North America

#28 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1330
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 69%

60. University of Alberta

Canada | Alberta

For Systems Engineering

#33 in North America

#5 in Canada

Enrollment: 31,185
Founded: 1908

61. Rutgers University - New Brunswick

United States | New Jersey

For Systems Engineering

#34 in North America

#29 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Average SAT: 1375
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 71%

62. University of Arizona

United States | Arizona

For Systems Engineering

#35 in North America

#30 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1290
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 98%

63. University of Florida

United States | Florida

For Systems Engineering

#36 in North America

#31 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 24%
Average SAT: 1390
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 92%

64. Technical University of Denmark

Denmark | Kongens Lyngby

For Systems Engineering

#16 in Europe

#1 in Denmark

Acceptance Rate: 38%
Founded: 1829

65. University of Pittsburgh

United States | Pennsylvania

For Systems Engineering

#37 in North America

#32 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1360
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 87%

66. University of Melbourne

Australia | Melbourne

For Systems Engineering

#2 in Oceania

#2 in Australia

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Enrollment: 49,000
Founded: 1853

67. KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Sweden | Stockholm

For Systems Engineering

#17 in Europe

#1 in Sweden

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

68. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Systems Engineering

#3 in Oceania

#3 in Australia

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

69. University of Massachusetts - Amherst

United States | Massachusetts

For Systems Engineering

#38 in North America

#33 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 58%
Average SAT: 1390
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 87%

70. University of Nottingham

United Kingdom | England

For Systems Engineering

#18 in Europe

#8 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1948

71. University of Twente

Netherlands | Enschede

For Systems Engineering

#19 in Europe

#3 in the Netherlands

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Founded: 1961

72. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Systems Engineering

#20 in Europe

#3 in Germany

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Enrollment: 23,321
Founded: 2009

73. Eindhoven University of Technology

Netherlands | Eindhoven

For Systems Engineering

#21 in Europe

#4 in the Netherlands

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 13,069
Founded: 1956

74. Yale University

United States | Connecticut

For Systems Engineering

#39 in North America

#34 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $26,044

75. Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Norway | Trondheim

For Systems Engineering

#22 in Europe

#1 in Norway

Enrollment: 42,031
Founded: 1996

76. Michigan State University

United States | Michigan

For Systems Engineering

#40 in North America

#35 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Average SAT: 1250
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 97%

77. California Institute of Technology

United States | California

For Systems Engineering

#41 in North America

#36 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 3%
Net Price: $23,397
Receiving Aid: 68%
Average Aid: $60,201

78. Hong Kong Polytechnic University

China | Hong Kong

For Systems Engineering

#12 in Asia

#9 in China

Founded: 1937

79. University of California - Irvine

United States | California

For Systems Engineering

#42 in North America

#37 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Receiving Aid: 71%
Average Aid: $21,533
Enrollment: 36,582

80. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

China | Hong Kong

For Systems Engineering

#13 in Asia

#10 in China

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1991

81. University of Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Systems Engineering

#4 in Oceania

#4 in Australia

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

82. Peking University

China | Beijing

For Systems Engineering

#14 in Asia

#11 in China

Enrollment: 44,730
Founded: 1898

83. Ghent University

Belgium | Ghent

For Systems Engineering

#23 in Europe

#2 in Belgium

Enrollment: 41,669
Founded: 1817

84. Technical University of Berlin

Germany | Brandenburg

For Systems Engineering

#24 in Europe

#4 in Germany

Enrollment: 34,842
Founded: 1946

85. North Carolina State University at Raleigh

United States | North Carolina

For Systems Engineering

#43 in North America

#38 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Average SAT: 1380
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 68%

86. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

United States | North Carolina

For Systems Engineering

#44 in North America

#39 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 19%
Average SAT: 1450
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 58%

87. Northwestern University

United States | Illinois

For Systems Engineering

#45 in North America

#40 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 7%
Average SAT: 1525
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $23,341

88. North China Electric Power University

China | Beijing

For Systems Engineering

#15 in Asia

#12 in China

Founded: 1958

89. Huazhong University of Science and Technology

China | Wuhan

For Systems Engineering

#16 in Asia

#13 in China

Enrollment: 71,970
Founded: 1953

90. Ontario Tech University

Canada | Ontario

For Systems Engineering

#46 in North America

#6 in Canada

Founded: 2002

91. University of Southampton

United Kingdom | England

For Systems Engineering

#25 in Europe

#9 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 21,335
Founded: 1952

92. Sapienza University of Rome

Italy | Lazio

For Systems Engineering

#26 in Europe

#2 in Italy

Enrollment: 100,155
Founded: 1303

93. Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

Israel | Haifa

For Systems Engineering

#17 in Asia

#1 in Israel

Founded: 1924

94. Polytechnic University of Turin

Italy | Piedmont

For Systems Engineering

#27 in Europe

#3 in Italy

Founded: 1859

95. Loughborough University

United Kingdom | England

For Systems Engineering

#28 in Europe

#10 in the United Kingdom

Enrollment: 19,449
Founded: 1966

96. University of Colorado Boulder

United States | Colorado

For Systems Engineering

#47 in North America

#41 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Average SAT: 1325
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 66%

97. University of Padua

Italy | Veneto

For Systems Engineering

#29 in Europe

#4 in Italy

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Enrollment: 62,876
Founded: 1222

98. University of Iowa

United States | Iowa State

For Systems Engineering

#48 in North America

#42 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Average SAT: 1225
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 88%

99. University of Birmingham

United Kingdom | England

For Systems Engineering

#30 in Europe

#11 in the United Kingdom

Founded: 1900

100. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Systems Engineering

#5 in Oceania

#5 in Australia

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

Engineering subfields in the World

Acoustical Engineering4702

Aerospace Engineering4547

Agricultural Engineering1024

Applied/Engineering Physics1488

Architectural Engineering1743

Architecture1387

Automation and Control engineering1916

Automotive Engineering2369

Aviation1052

Biochemical Engineering1346

Biomedical Engineering1803

Biotechnology3326

Chemical Engineering4419

Civil Engineering3701

Computer Engineering2154

Computer Networking4638

Construction Management1202

Electrical Engineering5074

Electronic Engineering3524

Engineering Management1577

Environmental Engineering2968

Firefighting and Fire Science1010

Geotechnical Engineering3520

Human-Computer Interaction2987

Industrial Engineering1027

Landscape Architecture1106

Marine Engineering1065

Materials Science5843

Mechanical Engineering5484

Metallurgical Engineering5002

Mining Engineering1000

Nanotechnology4181

Nuclear Engineering1096

Operations Research2300

Optical Engineering5380

Petroleum Engineering1388

Polymer science and Plastics engineering1015

Product and Industrial Design1014

Reliability and Quality Engineering2121

Remote Sensing2403

Renewable Energy Engineering2297

Robotics1602

Structural Engineering4056

Technical Drawing1117

Telecommunications4757

Transportation Engineering1845