Body

Rice undergraduate engineering program rises to No. 16 in US News rankings

Six engineering specialties listed in top 30, biomedical highest at No. 9.

Lovett Hall aerial photo

In the 2023 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guidebook, Rice University rose three spots to No. 16 in the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs category among schools whose highest engineering degree offered is a doctorate.

Last year, the George R. Brown School of Engineering undergraduate program was ranked No. 19. Biomedical engineering entered the top 10 this year, rising to No. 9, up from No. 11 in the 2022 rankings. 

Here are this year’s rankings by specialty program:

  • Biomedical: 9
  • Chemical: 25
  • Civil: 31
  • Computer: 27
  • Electrical: 30
  • Environmental: 18   
  • Mechanical: 24

Overall, Rice rose to No. 15 among the nation’s top universities, up from No. 17 in last year’s rankings. In the annual survey of more than 300 colleges and universities, Rice has routinely rated among the nation’s top 20 universities since first appearing on the list in 1988.

Rice also ranked No. 6 among the nation’s best values in higher education, and the university tied for No. 3 in the rankings of institutions whose students graduate with the least debt. Rice remains the highest-rated university in Texas.

The U.S. News rankings are one of the most closely watched indicators of academic excellence among the nation’s institutions of higher education. U.S. News says its latest rankings are based on 17 measures of academic quality at 1,500 institutions granting bachelor’s degrees across the nation.

Body