So you have earned your high school diploma – then what? Some high school graduates prefer to find work than going to college, while some would want to pursue a college degree, particularly engineering. We all want a high-paying job. But most of the time, companies demand a lot from an applicant before they could hire and pay with a high salary. One of the things that these employers will check from your resume is the college where you got your degree. Depending on your profession, employers will prefer applicants coming from prestigious colleges and universities in a particular field. If you want to take up engineering, you need to get your degree from the top colleges offering the best programs in your chosen field. Here are the top ten good engineering colleges that you can check:

10. University of Texas at Austin

One of the strongest weapons ever built at Austin, Texas is the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas. It has made the state as one of the most innovative cities in the United States of America. Cockrell School is also the 6th in the Academic Ranking of World Universities. It has also been ranked as the 11th in the US News Report. Big companies such as IBM and Dell have been recruiting the graduates of the Cockrell School of Engineering. It is currently offering Masters Programs in Architectural Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Management and more. The University of Texas at Austin is also offering Doctoral programs.

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University has an admission rate of 33.3 percent and a student-faculty ratio of 12:1. In 2006, CMU was reported to have spent $315 million on research alone. The recipients were Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Institute of Technology, Software Engineering Institute and School of Computer Science. No internal financial support has been made available to all ME Masters programs. However, students at the doctorate level could apply for funding. Its College of Engineering, the Carnegie Institute of Technology, is currently offering masters and doctorate degrees in Chemical Engineering, Biomechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Information Networking, Mechanical Engineering and more.

8. Cornell University

With an admission rate of 18.3 percent and a student-faculty ratio of 12:1, Cornell University is well-known in the engineering community. It has been ranked as one of the top engineering schools in the US, with its Engineering Physics program ranked as first according to the US News and World Report. Cornell’s College of Engineering is currently offering graduate programs in Applied Mathematics, Biomedical Engineering, Applied Physics, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and more.

7. University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is among the two educational institutions that has top-rating business, medical and engineering schools. With an admission rate of 50.6 percent and a student-faculty ratio of 12:1, MS applicants must have a GPA of 3.5 or 4.0. Successful applicants also have GRE scores of 4.5 for analytical writing and 1300 for verbal plus quantitative, along with three recommendation letters. Interested international students must have a TOEFL score of 85 and above. Its College of Engineering currently offers Masters, Doctorate as well as Interdisciplinary programs.

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Institute of Technology has one of the highest research expenditures, even without a medical school. More than 70 percent of its students are supported by assistanships and majority of which is under research assistantship. It is currently one of the top engineering schools because of their research activities. Georgia Institute of Technology offers graduate programs in Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Textile and Fiber Engineering and many more. Most of its graduates have a starting salary between $63, 000 and $95, 000 per year.

5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

At the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, the Graduate Admission Rate is about 10 percent. It is currently one of the most wired colleges according to the PC Magazine. It has also been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Wall Street Journal for its strong credentials in producing highly qualified graduates. International students are required to have a TOEFL score of at least 590. The University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign strongly recommends their Masters Program in Financial Engineering.

4. California Institute of Technology

California Institute of Technology is known for having a significant number of achievements in the field of engineering and science, having 31 recipients of the Nobel Prize. With an admission rate of 12.5 percent and a student-to-faculty ratio of 3:1, Caltech has been providing financial aid to Electrical Engineering students, either through Fellowship, Research Assistantship or Teaching Assistantship. It is also offering financial assistance to 98 percent of its graduate students. Caltech has been managing the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

3. University of California – Berkeley

Robert J. Oppenheimer, the late Physics Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, is a well-known figure because of his success in detonating the first atomic bomb during the Second World War UCB has been famous for producing the top scientists and researchers. Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering have the most number of competitive applicants. UCB has a student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1 and an admission rate of 21.6 percent. The institution has 21 Nobel laureates in its faculty.

2. Stanford University

Most of Stanford University’s departments focus their admission requirements on recommendations, transcripts, application letter, test scores and many other factors. The university has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1, while its admission rate is 7.31 percent. It is also known for its affiliation to Silicon Valley. Graduates of the Mechanical Engineering undergraduate program have a salary range of $60, 000 to $98, 000.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Not everyone can get into Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With its student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1 and admission rate of 10 percent, MIT provides financial support to its students. Fellowship, teaching assistantship and research assistantship support doctoral students. Only about 9 percent get external financial support or no support at all. This institution also has a residential system, accommodating only one-third of the graduate students. While most of its graduates enjoy their high-paying jobs, about 25, 000 firms are being founded by Massachusetts Instituta of Technology’s alumni with average annual revenue of $2 trillion.