Top Electrical Engineering Schools in 2021

The recently released QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 features 503 of the top higher education institutions to study electrical and electronic engineering.

The QS Rankings by Subject are based on four indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations per paper and the H-index (a way of measuring the productivity and published work of a scientist or scholar). You can find more details about the methodology behind the subject rankings here.

Read on to learn more about the best electrical engineering schools in each region. Alternatively, if you would like to explore the 507 schools in further detail, click here to view the full table.

Top electrical engineering schools in the US and Canada

Of the 503 schools ranked in the electrical engineering table, 81 are located in the US and 21 are in Canada, meaning North American schools make up an impressive fifth of the table.

The US is home to the top three electrical engineering schools in the world. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the best of these, with perfect scores in the academic and employer reputation indicators. Harvard University drops off the global top 10 this year to 11th. Other high-ranking US universities include California Institute of Technology (Caltech, 13th), Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech, 14th) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA, 15th).

There are three new US entries this year, all ranking 451-500: Clemson University, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC).

Heading north to Canada, two schools feature in the global top 50 with University of Toronto the top-ranking school in 24th place. Located in the centre of Toronto, its electrical and computer engineering department allows students to specialize to help shape their own career paths.

The University of British Columbia also ranks within the global top 50, in 34th, rising four places this year in the mechanical engineering rankings. The University of Waterloo also ranks well this year, in 48th after climbing 52 places.

Top electrical engineering schools in Europe

There are a staggering 183 electrical engineering schools ranked in Europe, with European schools making up half of the top 10.

The UK has an impressive 38 schools featured in the rankings, with several in the top 10. The University of Cambridge (sixth) is top in Europe, earning a near-perfect score for employer reputation. The university’s engineering department ensures that undergraduates gain a strong foundation in all engineering disciplines as well as an in-depth knowledge of electrical engineering.

After the UK, France has the most ranked schools in Europe (19) including CentraleSupélec in 56th place, falling 14 positions this year.

Elsewhere in the top 50, two schools in Germany feature (out of 17 German schools in total). These include Technische Universität München in 17th which boasts one of the largest engineering departments in Germany. The school teaches a well-rounded electrical engineering course, with application orientated teaching and research.

Switzerland has two schools in the global top 10, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in 5th place and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in 9th.

Similarly, Italy features twice in the top 50, with Politecnico di Milano its highest ranked institution in joint 22nd and earning a near-perfect score in the employer reputation indicator. Overall, Italy boasts an impressive 18 schools in the electrical engineering rankings this year.

Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and Sweden’s KTH, Royal Institute of Technology also crack the global top 20, in 16th and joint 18th place respectively. The final European school to make it into the global top 50 is Denmark’s Aalborg University (40th), rising ten places this year.

Top universities for electrical engineering in Australia and New Zealand

The electrical engineering rankings feature 21 schools in Australia and 5 schools in New Zealand.

The highest ranked school in Australia is The University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 33rd place 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 places in joint 90th, scoring particularly highly in the citations per paper indicator.

Top universities for electrical engineering in Asia

Asian schools scored highly for electrical engineering courses this year – out of 121 Asian schools ranked, 12 made it into the world top 50.

The highest ranked Asian school is Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, which came in 4th place globally, rising two 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 (NUS) in fifth, entering the top 10 this year after climbing seven positions in the electrical engineering rankings.

Mainland China is the most well-represented country in Asia, with 36 schools featuring in the rankings. Tsinghua University (12th) ranks highest in China this year. Tsinghua University’s electronic engineering department aims to make its teaching and research rigorous, diligent, practical, and creative.

Other notable Chinese institutions in the top 50 are Shanghai Jiao Tong University (joint 25th), Peking University (28th) and Zhejiang University (39th, rising eight places this year).

Japan and South Korea are the next most-represented countries in Asia for electrical engineering - Japan has 19 schools in the rankings and South Korea has 18. The University of Tokyo is Japan’s highest ranked school in joint 22nd place, followed by Tokyo Institute of Technology in 32nd. South Korea also features two schools in the global top 50: KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (joint 17th) and Seoul National University (SNU) (joint 29th).

Hong Kong’s five featured universities includes two in the world top 50. Its highest ranked is The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST, 20th) earning a great score in the research citations per paper indicator, representing the quality of the school’s research.

Malaysia’s Universiti Malaya (UM, 46th) is the best of the country’s 12 ranked universities offering electronic engineering programs this year. India also performs well with 15 universities featuring, including its highest ranked Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) in joint 54th position.

Top universities for electrical engineering in Latin America

There are no Latin American universities in the top 50 for electrical engineering, but 24 institutions make it into the rankings for this year. Latin America’s highest ranked university is Universidade de São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, which places in 102nd. 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 most well-represented Latin American country for electrical engineering, with 10 schools featured. Chile and Mexico have five schools each in the rankings, with Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) performing well in joint 127th.

Colombia has three universities in this year’s ranking. The Universidad Nacional de Colombia (201-250) is its highest-ranking school, earning a high score in the employer reputation indicator. Argentina has one - Universidad de Buenos Aires (251-300).

Top universities for electrical engineering in Africa and the Middle East

There are eight African universities featured in the electrical engineering rankings this year, with four 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.

There are 20 universities in the Middle East featured in the electrical engineering rankings and Iran is the most well-represented country with 8 universities in the rankings.

However, Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) is the highest ranked university in the region at joint 86th, earning a high score for the research citations per paper indicator.

The United Arab Emirates has three universities in this year’s rankings with Khalifa University (251-300) its highest ranked. Lebanon and Qatar each have one entry in 2021.