Celebrating Pitt Engineering’s 2027 U.S. News Rankings

To our Swanson School community,

As we welcome alumni and friends back to campus for Homecoming Week, we have another reason to celebrate. U.S. News & World Report released its 2027 Best Colleges rankings today, and Pitt and the Swanson School both made significant gains.

The University rose from No. 69 to No. 59 among national universities and from No. 32 to No. 24 among public universities. The Swanson School’s undergraduate engineering program climbed 11 places, from No. 57 to No. 46 nationally, tied for the 26th-highest position among public engineering schools. Bioengineering is tied for No. 24 nationally and the 10th-highest position among public programs. 

At the Swanson School, our first-year retention rate is 94.2%, above the University’s 93%. Among our 2026 graduates, 26% participated in co-op and 22.8% completed at least one global experience, gaining opportunities to apply their education in professional settings and broaden their perspectives. The Pell Grant graduation rate rose three percentage points to 80%, the University’s highest rate reported by U.S. News. You can read more about this year's rankings in Pittwire. 

Because the undergraduate engineering rankings are determined by engineering deans and senior faculty at other institutions, this is a meaningful indication that our peers recognize the strength of Pitt Engineering. This 11-place rise reflects years of work across the Swanson School to strengthen our academic programs, expand opportunities for students, recruit outstanding faculty, and bring greater attention to our research and partnerships. We should all take pride in this recognition as we build on that work through our strategic plan.

Thank you to our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners for the expertise, energy, and commitment you bring to the Swanson School. Whether you are strengthening a course, advancing research, advising a student, maintaining a laboratory, or building an external partnership, your work makes these achievements possible. This Homecoming Week, I hope you will take a moment to celebrate this recognition and the people who made it possible. 

Sincerely,
Michele V. Manuel, PhD
U. S. Steel Dean of Engineering