Top electrical engineering schools

The recently released QS World University Rankings by Subject features 521 of the top higher education institutions to study electrical and electronic engineering. 

The university rankings are based on five indicators: academic and employer reputation, citations per paper, H-index citations (a way of measuring the productivity and published work of a scientist or scholar) and international research network. You can find more information in the methodology.

Read on to discover the best universities for electrical engineering in each region. Alternatively, if you would like to see more of the electrical engineering rankings, view the full table. 

QS World University Ranking by Subject – Top electrical engineering schools
Rank	University	Location
1	Massachusetts Insitute of Technology - MIT	United States
2	Stanford University	United States
3	University of California Berkeley	United States
4	ETH Zurich	Switzerland
5	University of Cambridge	United Kingdom
6	EPFL	Switzerland
7	Harvard University	United States
8	University of Oxford	United Kingdom
9	Nanyang Technological University	Singapore
=10	Imperial College London	United Kingdom
=10	National University Singapore	Singapore

Top electrical engineering schools in the US and Canada

Of the 521 schools in the electrical engineering subject rankings, 78 of these are in the US and 23 are Canadian, meaning that North American institutions make up almost a fifth of the global rankings. The US is home to the top three schools in the world: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and University of California Berkeley. Other high-ranking universities in the US include Harvard University (7th), California Institute of Technology (12th), Georgia Insitute of Technology (13th), University of California Los Angeles (16th) and Carnegie Mellon University (17th). 

Heading north to Canada, three schools feature in the global top 50 – University of Toronto (18th), University of Waterloo (29th) and University of British Columbia (36th). Other notable institutions in Canada include McGill University (56th), Université de Montréal (90th) and University of Alberta (120th). 

Top electrical engineering schools in Europe

There are a staggering 185 electrical engineering schools ranked in Europe, with European universities making up half of the top 10. 

The UK has an impressive 38 schools featured in the rankings, with three in the top 10: The University of Cambridge (5th), The University of Oxford (8th) and Imperial College London (joint 10th). The University of Cambridge is the top-ranking university in Europe earning a near perfect score for employer reputation. The university’s engineering department ensures that all undergraduates gain a solid foundation in all engineering disciplines as well as an in-depth knowledge of electrical engineering. 

After the UK, France has the most electrical engineering schools in Europe, 19, including its top-ranked school Université Paris-Saclay (27th) which has risen nine places this year. 

Elsewhere in the top 50, three schools are from Germany: RWTH Aachen University (45th), Technische Universität Berlin (42nd), and Technical University of Munich (18th) which boasts one of the largest engineering departments in Germany. The school teaches a well-rounded electrical engineering course, with application-oriented teaching and research. 

Switzerland has two schools in the global top 10 for electrical engineering: ETH Zurich ranked fourth and EPFL ranked sixth. 

Similarly, Italy features twice in the top 50 with Politecnico di Milano, its highest ranked institution, in 18th and earning a near-perfect score in the employer reputation indicator. Overall, Italy boasts an impressive 16 schools in the electrical engineering rankings this year. 

Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands and Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology are also in the global top 25, ranking 15th and 23rd respectively. 

Top universities for electrical engineering in Australia and New Zealand

The electrical engineering rankings feature 19 schools in Australia and four schools in New Zealand. 

The highest-ranked school in Australia is The University of New South Wales ranking 41st globally. UNSW’s electrical engineering degrees are accredited by Engineers Australia (EA), which gives graduates international recognition for their qualifications under the Washington Accord. 

The highest-ranked university in New Zealand is the University of Auckland which ranks 133rd and does well in the citations per paper indicator. 

Top universities for electrical engineering in Asia

Asian schools did well in the electrical engineering rankings this year – out of 177 Asian schools ranked, 10 made it into the world top 50. 

The best Asian school is Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University which ranks ninth globally, falling five places this year. NTU’s school of electrical and electronic engineering receives over US$90 million annually in research funding and is backed by 150 faculty members with strong research skills, contributing to its high score in the H-index indicator. The school hosts 13 research centres and has facilities equipped with sophisticated state-of-the-art equipment. 

Close behind NTU is National University of Singapore in 10th; remaining in the top 10 despite dropping two places. 

Mainland China is the best-represented country in Asia, with 37 schools featuring in the rankings. Tsinghua University (14th) ranks the highest in Mainland China this year. Tsinghua University’s electronic engineering department aims to make its teaching and research rigorous, diligent, practical, and creative. 

Other notable Mainland Chinese institutions in the top 50 are Shanghai Jiao Tong University (32nd) and Peking University (38th). 

Japan and South Korea are the second best-represented countries in Asia for electrical engineering – Japan has 14 schools in the rankings this year and South Korea has 17. The University of Tokyo is Japan’s highest-ranked school at 32nd. South Korea features two schools in the global top 50: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (23rd) and Seoul National University (28th).  

Hong Kong’s five featured universities include two in the world top 100. Its highest-ranked is The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (36th) earning a great score in the citations per paper indicator, representing the quality of the school’s research. 

Malaysia’s Universiti Malaya (61st) is the best of the country’s 13 ranked universities offering electronic engineering programmes this year. India also does well with 15 universities featuring, including its highest ranked Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (49th).

Top universities for electrical engineering in the Middle East

There are 46 universities in the Middle East featured in the electrical engineering rankings this year. Iran is the most well-represented country with 10 universities in the rankings. The best universities in Iran are Sharif University of Technology and University of Tehran which are both 151-200. 

However, Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals is the highest-ranked university in the region at 60th, earning a high score for the citations per paper indicator. 

Turkey also does well with eight universities in the rankings. These include two universities in the top 200: Middle East Technical University (133rd) and Istanbul Technical University (144th). 

The United Arab Emirates has four universities in this year’s rankings with Khalifa University (99th) ranked the highest. Lebanon also has three universities whereas Qatar only has one. 

Top universities for electrical engineering in Latin America

There are no Latin American universities in the top 50 for electrical engineering, but 26 institutions make it into the rankings this year. Latin America’s highest-ranked university is Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil which places 80th. During USP’s electrical engineering course, students will have the opportunity to carry out research by doing integrated projects and extracurricular activities. 

Brazil is the best-represented Latin American country for electrical engineering, with 10 schools featured. Mexico has four schools in the rankings this year and Chile has five with Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México performing well at 115th. 

Colombia has four universities in this year’s rankings. Universidad Nacional de Colombia (151-200) is its highest-ranked school, earning a high score in the employer reputation indicator. Argentina has two: Universidad de Buenos Aires (251-300) and Universidad Nacional de La Plata (401-450). 

Top universities for electrical engineering in Africa

There are nine African universities featured in the electrical engineering subject rankings this year, with five in Egypt and four in South Africa.  

The highest-ranked African institution is Cairo University, at 151-200. The school’s graduates have worked in various national and international enterprises, and have influenced the political, social, and economic climate in Egypt. 

South Africa’s highest-ranked university is the University of Pretoria (351-400) which scores well in the citations per paper and the H-index citations indicators. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What do electrical engineers do?

Electrical engineers are responsible for the creation and design of new electrical products and systems. Examples of things that they have created in the past are television, radio and medical imaging. Today, they may be focusing on products such as electric vehicles, for example.

How much do electrical engineers make?

Salaries vary a lot depending on the country a person is working within, their employer and the specific area within which they work.

The Prospects website claims that, in the UK, electrical engineer salaries start at around £20,000-£25,000 per annum and can exceed £60,000 per annum.

What is the difference between electrical and electronic engineering?

There is definitely overlap between the two, however electrical engineering tends to focus on the design and creation of electrical products whereas electronic engineering focuses on specific circuits.