Olin College Among Top-Ranked U.S. Engineering Institutions

Needham-based Olin College of Engineering has been named one of the top colleges in the country, according to the latest publication from U.S. News & World Report.

The college, located at 1 Olin Way, off Great Plain Avenue near the Wellesley line, tied with Cooper Union in New York, NY as the sixth best engineering institution in the United States—an improvement by two spots from Olin College's 2011 ranking.

The list of top engineering schools was included in the U.S. News 2013 Best Colleges edition, which was published online on Wednesday, Sept. 12.

Olin also made the list of "Best Specialties," earning a No. 4 spot in the category of "Electrical/Electronic/Communications." 

"We are very pleased that U.S. News has once again recognized the quality of Olin's innovative engineering program," Olin College President Richard K. Miller said in a press release sent out this week. "As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our opening, it seems clear from these rankings that the reputation of our groundbreaking program and unique learning culture is on the rise as we become more and more recognized as a national leader in engineering education."

All undergraduate engineering programs that are accredited by ABET (formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) are considered for ranking in the U.S. News report.

According to the Olin College press release: "The rankings are based solely on a survey of engineering deans and senior faculty at all accredited programs, conducted during the spring of 2012. Surveys sent to the dean and a faculty member at each accredited program asked them to rate programs with which they're familiar on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished)."

View all the 2013 rankings on the U.S. News & World Report website.