The best engineering schools in the USA for international students combine a strong research name with funding that does not depend on citizenship, and most of them now let you apply without the GRE. This list covers 43 graduate engineering schools ranked in the U.S. News 2026 Best Engineering Schools list, released on 7 April 2026, from MIT at No. 1 to the four schools tied at No. 50. For each you get the rank, the GRE rule, the application fee international applicants pay, and what PhD students are typically paid.
The single most useful fact for an international engineer is this: at research universities, PhD students are usually funded and master’s students usually are not. A funded PhD covers tuition and pays a salary, while a master’s degree is often paid for out of your own pocket. Each school name below links to our full guide, which gives department deadlines, English test minimums and costs, all checked on the schools’ own pages in October 2026.
How to read the engineering school tables
- U.S. News 2026 rank: the graduate engineering rank from the list released in April 2026. Some sources label it 2026-27.
- GRE policy: GRE rules are set by each department, not the whole school. The cell sums up the departments our guide checked. “Not accepted” means the department will not look at scores even if you send them.
- International application fee: the fee for applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents, where the school charges a different rate.
- PhD funding: the stipend or funding promise our guide found, with the year it applies to. Department rules differ, so treat this as the typical case.
- College guide: a link to our undergraduate admission guide for the same university, where we have one.
Top 10 engineering schools in the USA for international students
MIT, Stanford and Berkeley lead the 2026 list. Georgia Tech and Purdue tie at No. 4, and Caltech, UIUC and UT Austin tie at No. 6. Caltech’s funding promise is the clearest of the group: every full-time PhD student making progress gets full tuition and fees and a stipend of $50,000 for 12 months from 1 September 2026.
| School | U.S. News 2026 rank | GRE policy | International application fee | PhD funding | College guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIT Engineering | #1 | Not required in most departments | $90 | RA, TA or fellowship pays tuition and a salary | Undergraduate guide |
| Stanford Engineering | #2 | Varies: not accepted in ME, required in MS&E | $125 | EE: department fellowship in year one in most cases | Undergraduate guide |
| UC Berkeley Engineering | #3 | Not required (EECS, ME); not accepted (CEE) | $155 | Multi-year packages, tuition plus at least $34,000 a year | Undergraduate guide |
| Georgia Tech Engineering | #4 (tie) | Optional in ECE | $105 | Most ECE PhD admits get a GRA or GTA with tuition waiver | Undergraduate guide |
| Purdue Engineering | #4 (tie) | Optional in ME, ECE and CE; required in AAE (waivers exist) | $75 | Stipend floor $28,000 a year (fiscal-year appointments) | Undergraduate guide |
| Caltech EAS | #6 (tie) | Optional for EAS options (not required in MCE and aerospace) | $100 | Full tuition and fees plus $50,000 for 12 months | Undergraduate guide |
| UIUC Grainger | #6 (tie) | Optional in ECE and CEE; MechSE did not accept it in recent cycles | $90 | Five-year guarantee: tuition waiver, partial fee waiver, stipend | Undergraduate guide |
| UT Austin Cockrell | #6 (tie) | Not considered in ECE; not required in CAEE; optional in ME; required in aerospace and ORIE | $90 | ECE PhD admits fully supported for the whole degree | Undergraduate guide |
| UC San Diego Jacobs | #9 | Not required in most departments | $155 | MAE: about $3,600 a month plus tuition and fees | Undergraduate guide |
| Carnegie Mellon Engineering | #10 | Optional (ECE) or not accepted (MechE, CEE, INI) | $75 | ECE: fellowships cover tuition, fees and stipend | Undergraduate guide |
Fees in this group range from $75 at Purdue and Carnegie Mellon to $155 at the University of California campuses, which charge international applicants more than domestic ones. If you apply to several UC schools, the fees add up quickly, and our UC San Diego guide notes there is no university fee waiver for international applicants.
Engineering schools ranked 11 to 25
This band includes some of the best-paid PhD positions in the country. Penn’s minimum PhD stipend is $49,000 a year from 1 April 2026, Columbia’s minimum for students on appointment was $49,522 for 12 months in 2025-26, and Johns Hopkins Computer Science guarantees full funding with a stipend of about $50,000. Most schools here have dropped the GRE requirement or made it optional, though a few departments still ask for it.
| School | U.S. News 2026 rank | GRE policy | International application fee | PhD funding | College guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell Engineering | #11 | Not required; not accepted in MAE | $105 | Stipend at least $36,684 for nine months (2026-27) | Undergraduate guide |
| Michigan Engineering | #12 | Not used for PhD; some MS programmes may ask | $90 | Full funding: tuition waiver, monthly stipend, insurance | Undergraduate guide |
| Johns Hopkins Whiting | #13 | Not required school-wide; programmes decide how to use scores | None for master’s | CS: full funding with stipend of about $50,000 | Undergraduate guide |
| Texas A&M Engineering | #14 (tie) | Varies by department; optional in Mechanical and ECE | $148 | At least $2,000 a month plus resident tuition and fees paid | Undergraduate guide |
| UCLA Samueli | #14 (tie) | Department by department; required in MAE, not required in ECE | $155 | Mainly GSR, TA and fellowships; CS funds international PhD admits | Undergraduate guide |
| Northwestern McCormick | #16 (tie) | Programme by programme; not required in ECE for fall 2027 | $95 | At least five years: stipend, tuition, subsidised insurance | Undergraduate guide |
| Penn Engineering | #16 (tie) | Optional for fall 2027 | $95 | Minimum stipend $49,000 a year from 1 April 2026 | Undergraduate guide |
| Columbia Engineering | #18 (tie) | Optional for 2027 | $85 | Minimum $49,522 for 12 months on appointment (2025-26) | Undergraduate guide |
| CU Boulder Engineering | #18 (tie) | Set by department (optional or not used in several) | $80 | ECEE: five years of RA funding, $3,460.25 a month | Not yet |
| Maryland Clark | #18 (tie) | Optional (ECE, Aerospace, Mechanical, Chemical) | $90 | Minimum 12-month stipend $36,660 (2026-27) | Undergraduate guide |
| USC Viterbi | #21 | Not required for MS; required for PhD only in ASTE and ISE | $120 (covers two programmes) | Minimum PhD stipend $41,200 a year | Undergraduate guide |
| Duke Pratt | #22 (tie) | Optional for MEng and for BME, ECE and MEMS PhDs | $105 or $75 | 12-month funding, projected stipend $43,775 (2026-27) | Not yet |
| Harvard SEAS | #22 (tie) | Optional (required only for MDE and MS/MBA) | $105 | Fully funded, $4,330 a month (2026-27) | Undergraduate guide |
| University of Washington Engineering | #22 (tie) | Varies: not used in ME and CEE, optional in Bioengineering | $90 | RA or TA salary covering most tuition | Undergraduate guide |
| Princeton Engineering | #25 (tie) | Not accepted in MAE and CS; optional in CEE, CBE, ECE | $75 | First-year fellowship $46,200 for 10 months (2026-27) | Undergraduate guide |
| Rice Engineering | #25 (tie) | No university rule; set by each programme | Not stated (shown at checkout) | Tuition waiver and at least $36,000 over 12 months | Undergraduate guide |
Two schools stand out on cost for master’s applicants. Johns Hopkins Whiting charges no application fee for its master’s programmes, and USC Viterbi’s $120 fee covers applications to two Viterbi programmes. On the other side, Texas A&M’s international fee is $148 because it adds an engineering fee to the university fee.
Engineering schools ranked 26 to 50
These schools often give you a better chance of funded admission than the top ten, with stipends that still cover living costs in cheaper cities. Brown guarantees five years of support with a 2025-26 base stipend of $52,198 for 12 months, which is higher than many top-ten figures. Vanderbilt pays from $40,000 a year and charges no fee for its MS. Dayton is the outlier: it states plainly that international graduate and doctoral students are not eligible for its financial aid or merit scholarships.
| School | U.S. News 2026 rank | GRE policy | International application fee | PhD funding | College guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UW-Madison Engineering | #27 | Not required in ECE, ME, BME, CBE, CEE | $75 plus $6 | At least $37,417 a year (2026-27) with tuition waived | Undergraduate guide |
| NC State Engineering | #28 (tie) | Not required in ECE, MAE, CBE | $75 | Tuition paid, insurance, minimum stipend $20,000 a year | Not yet |
| Ohio State Engineering | #28 (tie) | Not required in CSE and ECE; not accepted in MAE | $70 | Full package valued at more than $245,000 over five years | Undergraduate guide |
| Penn State Engineering | #28 (tie) | Optional in ME, Aerospace and EE; not required in Civil | $85 | Assistantships pay stipend, tuition and 80% of insurance | Undergraduate guide |
| UC Santa Barbara Engineering | #28 (tie) | Not required in ME; set by each department | $155 | GSR salary plus fees, insurance and nonresident tuition | Undergraduate guide |
| Virginia Tech Engineering | #32 | Optional in ME and ECE; not required in CS | $75 | Apply by funding priority dates in January 2027 | Undergraduate guide |
| UC Davis Engineering | #35 | Not required in most programmes; not accepted in CEE | $155 | Generally four years of full funding | Undergraduate guide |
| Delaware Engineering | #36 | Not required (ChemE, Materials, ECE) | $75 | Tuition waiver and stipend; minimum $36,000 (2025-26) | Not yet |
| Vanderbilt Engineering | #39 | Not required for spring or fall 2027 | None for MS | Full tuition, insurance, stipend from $40,000 | Undergraduate guide |
| ASU Fulton | #41 | Required for PhD; not required for most MS | $120 | TA or RA salary plus tuition award; set by department | Undergraduate guide |
| Pitt Swanson | #42 (tie) | Optional | Not stated (shown in EngineeringCAS) | Stipend plus tuition scholarship; master’s usually unfunded | Undergraduate guide |
| UVA Engineering | #42 (tie) | Optional for all programmes | None at present | Two departments fund most MS and PhD students | Undergraduate guide |
| Rochester Hajim | #48 | Optional in all departments checked | $70 ($30 in ME) | Full tuition scholarship and stipend | Undergraduate guide |
| Tennessee Tickle | #50 (tie) | Optional for PhD; not required for master’s | Not stated | Assistantship stipend, tuition and fee waiver, insurance | Not yet |
| Dayton Engineering | #50 (tie) | Not required on the engineering PhD pages checked | $50 | No financial aid or merit for internationals | Not yet |
| Brown Engineering | #50 (tie) | Optional for Biomedical Engineering PhD; check your programme | Not stated | Five years guaranteed; $52,198 base (2025-26) | Undergraduate guide |
| RPI Engineering | #50 (tie) | Optional for all engineering programmes | $75 | Tuition waiver and minimum $37,783 (2026-27) | Undergraduate guide |
Later deadlines are another reason to look at this group. Tennessee’s international deadline for fall 2027 is 15 April 2027 and Dayton’s is 1 June 2027, while Pitt Swanson accepts self-funded applications until 1 April 2027. If you missed December, these schools may still be open, though funding is usually decided earlier.
GRE requirements at US engineering schools
The GRE has largely gone from top engineering admissions, but not everywhere. Based on our guides:
- Not required in most departments: MIT, UC San Diego, Cornell, Michigan (PhD), Johns Hopkins, Wisconsin, NC State and Vanderbilt.
- Optional: Penn, Columbia, Maryland, Harvard, Duke (MEng and several PhDs), UVA, Rochester, RPI and Pitt.
- Not accepted in some departments: Stanford mechanical engineering, Berkeley civil and environmental, Carnegie Mellon mechanical and civil, Cornell mechanical and aerospace, Princeton mechanical and aerospace and computer science, and Ohio State mechanical and aerospace.
- Still required in some departments: Stanford MS&E, Purdue aeronautics and astronautics (waivers exist), UT Austin aerospace and ORIE, UCLA mechanical and aerospace, Harvard MDE, and ASU Fulton for PhD applicants.
If a department does not accept the GRE, sending a score does nothing. Spend that money on a stronger English test result or on application fees for an extra school instead.
How PhD funding works for international engineering students
A funded engineering PhD in the US usually comes as one of three things: a research assistantship paid from a professor’s grant, a teaching assistantship, or a fellowship. In each case the school covers tuition and pays a monthly stipend, and most add health insurance. Our MIT guide describes exactly this mix, and Northwestern says international PhD students are funded the same way as domestic students.
Master’s funding is a different story. Several guides say so directly: UT Austin’s master’s students are usually self-funded, Pitt says master’s students are generally not considered for funded appointments, and UC Davis expects master’s students to pay about $31,360 a year in non-resident tuition and fees in 2026-27. If you cannot pay for a master’s, applying straight to the PhD is often the realistic route.
For funding from outside the university, see our Fulbright Scholarship guide and our list of American scholarships for international students.
How to apply to US engineering graduate schools from abroad
- Pick departments, not schools: deadlines, GRE rules and funding are set by each department, so check the department page for your field.
- Contact potential advisers early: at schools where funding comes from grants, a professor who wants you is the main route to a research assistantship.
- Prepare the English test: most schools want TOEFL or IELTS unless your degree was taught in English, and some do not accept Duolingo. Northwestern, for example, does not.
- Get transcripts evaluated if asked: Dayton, for example, asks for a course-by-course evaluation from a NACES member.
- Write a research statement: explain the problem you want to work on, what you have already done, and which faculty you would work with.
- Submit by the funding deadline: most PhD deadlines fall between 1 and 15 December 2026 for fall 2027, and late applications usually miss funding.
Common mistakes international engineering applicants make
- Applying for a master’s expecting funding: at most of these schools, master’s students pay their own way.
- Reading the school’s GRE rule instead of the department’s: two departments in the same school can have opposite rules.
- Missing the fellowship round: some departments, such as Ohio State CSE, set an earlier date for fellowship consideration.
- Counting on a fee waiver: many schools offer few or no waivers to international applicants.
- Writing a generic statement: faculty read for fit with their own research, so name the labs and problems you want to work on.
FAQs on engineering schools in the USA for international students
Which US engineering schools do not require the GRE?
Most top schools no longer require it. MIT, UC San Diego, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Wisconsin, NC State and Vanderbilt do not require it in most departments, and several departments at Stanford, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon and Princeton will not accept scores at all.
Do international students get fully funded engineering PhDs in the USA?
Yes. Most schools here fund PhD students through assistantships or fellowships that cover tuition and pay a stipend, often $35,000 to $50,000 a year. Dayton is an exception in our list, as it gives internationals no aid.
What is the application fee for US engineering graduate schools?
Fees in our list run from nothing (Johns Hopkins master’s, Vanderbilt MS, UVA at present) to $155 at the University of California campuses. Most schools charge between $75 and $105.
When are US engineering PhD deadlines for fall 2027?
Most PhD deadlines fall between 1 and 15 December 2026, with some running into January 2027. Master’s deadlines are often later, from January to March 2027, and a few schools accept applications until April or June 2027.
Sources and updates
Ranks come from the U.S. News 2026 Best Engineering Schools list, released on 7 April 2026, as recorded in each of our school guides. GRE rules, fees, stipends and deadlines come from each school’s graduate admissions, department and graduate school finance pages, checked for the individual guides in October 2026. Stipend figures carry the year stated in the table. We will update this list when schools publish 2027-28 stipends and when U.S. News releases its next edition.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
