Bucknell achieved one of its highest rankings on the “Best Undergraduate Engineering — Non-Doctorate” list, ranking fifth, in the new U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Colleges rankings, published Tuesday, Sept. 24. Bucknell also ranked sixth among “Most Innovative Schools — National Liberal Arts Colleges.”
“I came to Bucknell because of it’s stellar engineering college and the priority it places on allowing students the opportunity to apply their education,” said Morgan Powell ’26, Civil Engineering. “For example, sustainability is a huge interest of mine, but I don’t feel like it’s a hobby anymore because I’ve been able to do real work researching and engaging with the community. Bucknell recognizes that sustainable development is a requirement for civil and structural engineering because it’s guaranteed to be intertwined with the work we do after graduating. The chance to move beyond theory now is preparing me to make a more significant impact in the future.”
In addition to its overall Engineering ranking, Bucknell was tied for fourth in Mechanical Engineering, fifth in Civil Engineering, tied for fifth in Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engineering and sixth in Computer Engineering.
“The Mechanical Engineering faculty here are incredible. They know what they’re doing, they really care, and they want you to succeed,” said Josh Dewey ’25. “Another thing I’ve really enjoyed about the Mechanical Engineering program here at Bucknell is the abundance of labs. It can feel very daunting during course registration, but the experience and knowledge you gain through a lab in terms of material, software, and general problem solving is so valuable.”
Echoing the value of experiential learning, Angelica Nowak ’26 stated “the thing I enjoy the most about the engineering college is how hands on the courses are and for Mechanical Engineering specifically, how comprehensive the curriculum is. Most of the classes have a project based component and through our classes we get to experience every aspect of mechanical engineering.”
Senior Electrical Engineering major Colton Jiorle said “I’m really excited to see the changes paying off for the ECE department. The design forward focus of our curriculum is one of the major aspects that drew me to Bucknell engineering in addition to our integration to the broader liberal arts education.”
Overall, Bucknell tied for 31st among National Liberal Arts Colleges in the rankings.
Bucknell also ranked in the top 20 in First-year Experiences, tying with Princeton and Stanford at 17th.
The 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings report was calculated using 17 factors. More than half of a school’s rank now comprises varying outcome measures related to schools’ success at enrolling, retaining and graduating students from different backgrounds with manageable debt and postgraduation success.
Information presented in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings was collected during the spring and summer of 2024 via U.S. News’ annual online statistical survey of colleges. In total, U.S. News has collected data on more than 1,800 institutions.
