Facts & Rankings

Unrivaled strength across every discipline at the undergraduate and graduate levels 

The University of Illinois' Grainger College of Engineering is a global leader for engineering education and research in every field, and we consistently appear in national engineering rankings, reflecting our commitment to providing students a transformative academic experience.

Grainger Engineering is unmatched in its size and resources, enabling us to provide an elite education to every student at the undergraduate and graduate levels, both on-campus and online. At Grainger Engineering, you will receive instruction from leading expert researchers and practitioners in your field. Their courses are filled with engaging, cutting-edge theory coupled with impactful engineering research and hands-on learning experiences to ensure you are staying at the forefront of innovation.

Our students and faculty are facing global challenges head-on, developing creative solutions to make a difference across the country and the world.

A Tradition of Excellence in Education

In addition to our individual undergraduate and graduate degree programs receiving top nationwide rankings, the Grainger College of Engineering and the greater University of Illinois have also continuously received praise for our reputation, strength of academic programming, outstanding faculty, and leading research. We are proud to be a leader in our field, providing an enriching experience that will innovate the future of engineering. Explore some of our recent accolades below!

 Leading the Field in Engineering and Technology

• The Grainger College of Engineering is #1 for Automation and Control by ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (2019)

• The University of Illinois is ranked #15 for Engineering & Technology in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings. (2016)

• Computer Science Degree Hub ranked Urbana-Champaign #4 in its 50 Great Cities for Studying Computers and Technology listing. (2014)

• The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was listed as #8 on Edudemic's 10 Innovative Universities Shaking Up Education." (2013)

• Engineering at Illinois is #1 on "The Most-Cited Institutions in Engineering, 1999-2009," a list of the top 20 institutions worldwide with the highest total citations to research papers published in Thomson Reuters-indexed engineering journals from January 1, 1999 to October 31, 2009.

Recognition for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Illinois is #7 on Forbes' Top 10 Best Value Schools for 2016, based on tuition costs, school quality, graduation success and post-grad earnings.

• Illinois is 7th on list of most undergraduate and graduate alumni hired by the 25 biggest Silicon Valley employers in the last year. (2017)

• Illinois ranks #10 on Time's list of the 25 Best Public Colleges for Big Paychecks. (2017)

• Illinois is #10 on Entrepreneur's list of university rankings based on the amount of VC funding its entrepreneurial alumni receive, the number of companies founded, and other metrics (Sept. 2016).

• A Wall Street Journal study of the largest public and private companies, nonprofits and government agencies ranked the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign #3 for graduates top-rated by recruiters. (2013)

Urbana-Champaign Community: Fulfillment and Innovation

• Urbana-Champaign is #2 on American Institute of Economic Research's Best College Towns based on demographics, quality of life, and economics.

• Urbana-Champaign was ranked 9th, per capita, for first fundings of venture capital by Brookings. (2015)

• Illinois is in the Top 20 globally for patents issued in 2014 according to the National Association of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.