Historically, women have not been encouraged to pursue STEM careers, which has been reflected in abysmal gender ratios in the engineering departments of elite universities across both student bodies and faculty. But have these numbers improved in recent years? According to the most recently available data on the gender makeup of engineering cohorts at the top 25 national universities on the 2026 “Best National Universities” ranking from US News & World Report, the answer is not by much.

A Breakdown of the Gender Ratio at Top 25 Engineering Programs

College / University	2026 US News Rank (“Best National Universities”)	Percent of Undergraduate Engineering Students who are Women	Percent of Engineering Faculty who are Women
Princeton University	#1	41%	24%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	#2	49%	17%
Harvard University	#3	40%	24%
Stanford University	#4	38%	N/A
Yale University	#4	34.50%	21%
University of Chicago	#6	N/A	N/A
Duke University	#7	40%	N/A
Johns Hopkins University	#7	38%	23%
Northwestern University	#7	27%	20%
University of Pennsylvania	#7	40%	22%
California Institute of Technology	#11	41%	26.50%
Cornell University	#12	47%	29%
Brown University	#13	41%	N/A
Dartmouth College	#13	N/A	27%
Columbia University	#15	53%	N/A
University of California, Berkeley	#15	32.90%	28.70%
Rice University	#17	35.20%	20.90%
University of California, Los Angeles	#17	32%	N/A
Vanderbilt University	#17	46%	N/A
Carnegie Mellon University	#20	44.30%	24.40%
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor	#20	32%	N/A
University of Notre Dame	#20	40%	25%
Washington University in St. Louis	#20	38%	N/A
Emory University	#24	N/A	N/A
Georgetown University	#24	N/A	N/A

Nearly all of the schools on this list have recorded a small but steady increase in female engineering students and faculty in the last few years, but considering that the most recently available data across programs suggests that women in the field are still overwhelmingly outnumbered by men, so much more progress must be made! The only school that reported that female undergraduates made up the majority of engineering students was Columbia (although even at this school, a leader in gender equity in engineering, women are by no means a healthy majority. The ratio is nearly 50/50!). 

Many of these schools fail to report any data on the gender composition of their engineering departments. Could this mean that these schools, including such prestigious institutions as the University of Chicago, Georgetown University, and Emory University, are attempting to conceal the state of female representation in these departments? Elite universities are usually no stranger to boasting about their diversity whenever possible. 

Future Female Engineers Must be Encouraged and Supported

Department of Education data suggests that women currently make up 58% of all undergraduates across the nation. In other words, despite making up a majority of the student bodies at these schools, women are still underrepresented in the engineering major. This should be considered a great failure on the part of elite universities. Especially disappointing is the lagging proportion of engineering faculty who are women. Even Cornell University, which reports the highest percentage of female faculty on this list (29%), still hires only a small minority of women.

The state of the gender disparity calls for one of these elite universities to rise up as a leader in the fight for equitable recruitment and enrollment efforts. In the meantime, Ivy Coach is committed to helping future female engineers attend the best schools possible. 

If you are interested in optimizing your child’s case for admission to an elite engineering program, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch!