Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best Mechanical Engineering schools. The average acceptance rate of best Mechanical Engineering schools is 19.13% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 39.90%.
California Institute of Technology has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 2.57% and Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 85.83% among best Mechanical Engineering schools. The numbers in parenthesis() in below table represent the number and rate by gender (men/women). The statistics is based on the latest data from IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 28,232 (17,210/8,975) | 1,284 (606/612) | 1,102 (542/497) | 5% (4%/7%) | 86% (89%/6%) |
| 1 | Stanford University | 57,326 (29,602/27,724) | 2,067 (1,015/1,052) | 1,693 (835/858) | 4% (3%/4%) | 82% (82%/3%) |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | 13,856 (9,401/4,446) | 356 (166/190) | 218 (107/111) | 3% (2%/4%) | 61% (64%/2%) |
| 3 | University of California-Berkeley | 124,242 (60,612/63,630) | 13,639 (5,473/8,166) | 6,272 (2,705/3,567) | 11% (9%/13%) | 46% (49%/6%) |
| 5 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 59,789 (40,022/19,765) | 8,413 (4,634/3,779) | 3,836 (2,160/1,676) | 14% (12%/19%) | 46% (47%/8%) |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 73,742 (41,597/32,124) | 31,247 (15,134/16,102) | 9,008 (4,538/4,469) | 42% (36%/50%) | 29% (30%/14%) |
| 5 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 98,310 (48,101/50,209) | 15,373 (6,684/8,689) | 7,278 (3,199/4,079) | 16% (14%/17%) | 47% (48%/8%) |
| 8 | Cornell University | 62,993 (32,321/30,643) | 5,516 (2,529/2,987) | 3,525 (1,648/1,877) | 9% (8%/10%) | 64% (65%/6%) |
| 8 | Princeton University | 40,468 (20,563/19,883) | 1,868 (903/965) | 1,410 (693/717) | 5% (4%/5%) | 75% (77%/4%) |
| 10 | Carnegie Mellon University | 33,941 (20,143/12,734) | 3,959 (1,973/1,870) | 1,808 (974/780) | 12% (10%/15%) | 46% (49%/6%) |
| 10 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 78,745 (48,473/30,272) | 39,272 (22,551/16,721) | 11,467 (6,945/4,522) | 50% (47%/55%) | 29% (31%/15%) |
| 10 | The University of Texas at Austin | 72,885 (35,912/36,750) | 19,417 (8,101/11,264) | 9,210 (3,847/5,343) | 27% (23%/31%) | 47% (47%/15%) |
| Average | 62,044 (33,663/33,663) | 11,868 (5,814/6,033) | 4,736 (2,349/2,375) | 19.13% (17.3%/17.9%) | 39.90% (40.4%/39.4%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best Mechanical Engineering schools is 1486. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 727 and the average SAT Math score is 759.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the highest SAT scores of 1,560 and Purdue University-Main Campus has the lowest SAT scores of 1,350 among best Mechanical Engineering schools. The following table compares SAT Scores between best Mechanical Engineering schools for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 83% (911) | 1560 | 760 | 800 |
| 1 | Stanford University | 51% (857) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 3 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 5 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 77% (2,966) | 1480 | 720 | 760 |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 48% (4,310) | 1440 | 700 | 740 |
| 5 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 51% (3,697) | 1460 | 720 | 740 |
| 8 | Cornell University | 40% (1,424) | 1540 | 750 | 790 |
| 8 | Princeton University | 56% (783) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 10 | Carnegie Mellon University | 53% (951) | 1540 | 750 | 790 |
| 10 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 79% (9,110) | 1350 | 660 | 690 |
| 10 | The University of Texas at Austin | 56% (5,189) | 1390 | 690 | 700 |
| Average | 59.40% | 1486 | 727 | 759 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best Mechanical Engineering schools is 33. By subject, the average ACT English score is 34 and the ACT math score is 33.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best Mechanical Engineering schools for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 29% (322) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 1 | Stanford University | 19% (324) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 3 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 5 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 35% (1,354) | 33 | 34 | 32 |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 16% (1,408) | 32 | 34 | 32 |
| 5 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 18% (1,274) | 33 | 35 | 33 |
| 8 | Cornell University | 13% (455) | 34 | 35 | 35 |
| 8 | Princeton University | 21% (303) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 10 | Carnegie Mellon University | 22% (405) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 10 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 25% (2,898) | 31 | 32 | 30 |
| 10 | The University of Texas at Austin | 18% (1,686) | 31 | 32 | 29 |
| Average | 21.60% | 33 | 34 | 33 | |
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
Application Requirements
The following table list and compare the requirements when applying best Mechanical Engineering schools based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ |
| 1 | Stanford University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 3 | University of California-Berkeley | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 5 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 5 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 8 | Cornell University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 8 | Princeton University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | Carnegie Mellon University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | Purdue University-Main Campus | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 10 | The University of Texas at Austin | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
✔: Required △: Considered but not Required ✔: Recommended ✗: Neither Required nor Recommended
- HS GPA: High School or Secondary School GPA
- HS Rank: High School or Secondary School Rank
- HS Record: High School or Secondary School Record
- Prep. Program: Completion of College Preparatory Program
- Rec.: Recommendations
- Comp.: Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
The ranking data is provided by CollegeEvaluator.
Top Colleges By Subject
- Tightest Schools To Admit (Lowest Acceptance Rate)
- Affordable Schools To Admit (Highest Acceptance Rate)
- Most Favored Schools (Highest Yield)
- Colleges with Low Yield
- Expensive Colleges (Highest Tuition & Fees)
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- Colleges with Most Students
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- Colleges with Highest Graduation Rates
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- Low Student to Faculty Ratio
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*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.