Rankings & Statistics
About Us
CEE at Illinois consistently ranks among the most elite programs in the U.S. and worldwide for both undergraduate and graduate studies. We attract the brightest students and world-class faculty, and graduates are in high demand for industry.
- Department founded in 1867
- More than 115 courses offered on campus
- More than 50 courses offered online
- More than $18 million in research expenditures (FY2018)
- Tenure-track faculty members: 54
- Living alumni: 15,000+
- Average class size: 43 students (lectures), 13 students (lab sections)
Fundamentals of Engineering Exam pass rate (national pass rate is 68%)
Principles & Practice of Engineering (PE) exam pass rate (national pass rate is 63.5%)
Undergraduate Programs
U.S. News rankings (2021)
- Undergraduate civil engineering program: #6
- Undergraduate environmental engineering program: #6
Other numbers (2020-2021):
- Total CEE undergraduate enrollment: 601
Domestic enrollment, Illinois residents: 463
Domestic enrollment, non-Illinois: 78
International student enrollment: 60
Women students: 188
Under-represented minorities: 87 - Undergraduate average ACT score: 30.9
- Internal department scholarships awarded: 103
Graduate Programs
U.S. News rankings (2022)
- Graduate online program: #1
- Graduate civil engineering program: #2
- Graduate environmental engineering program: #3
Other numbers (2020-2021):
- Total graduate enrollment: 548
- Ph.D. enrollment: 232
Ph.D. women students: 25%
Ph.D. international students: 78% - M.S. enrollment: 316
M.S. women students: 31%
M.S. international students: 52% - CEE Online M.S. program, enrollment: 152
Status After Graduation
An exit survey of 158 CEE undergraduate students (2018-2019)* reported:
- 60% employed
- 38% continuing education
- 1% seeking employment
- 1% other
- Average starting salary $65,035
Additionally, CEE students taking the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam – the first step to becoming a licensed professional engineer – have a 94.5% pass rate, compared to the national pass rate of 68%. CEE at Illinois pass rate for the Principles & Practice of Engineering (PE) exam – required to become a Professional Engineer in the United States – is 84.5%, compared to the national pass rate of 63.5%.
Grainger Engineering at Illinois
College-wide, Grainger Engineering at Illinois students:
- Receive 2+ job offers per student, on average.
- Are Top 5 among engineering students most prepared for the workforce, accordingly to a Wall Street Journal survey of employers.
- 47% employed graduates remain in Illinois, 12% work in the Midwest (excluding Illinois), 5% in the Northeast, 10% in the South, 23% in the West, 3% are International (including Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam).