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Electrical engineering sits at the center of the most economically significant industries of the next decade — semiconductors, wireless communications, power systems, autonomous vehicles, and AI hardware. It also has one of the richest co-op and scholarship ecosystems in engineering: the semiconductor industry alone runs graduate fellowship programs, SMART Scholarship demand for EE students is high, and IEEE has been funding EE scholarships longer than most students have been alive.
A note on degree names before we start: at many top programs, electrical engineering, computer engineering, electrical and computer engineering (ECE), and sometimes computer science share 70–90% of their curriculum. MIT calls its program EECS (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science). Georgia Tech splits them but cross-lists extensively. For most purposes, these degree variants are treated identically by employers — what matters is the school and the demonstrated technical depth, not whether your diploma says EE or ECE.
Funding an Electrical Engineering Degree
IEEE Scholarships
The IEEE Foundation administers multiple scholarship programs for undergraduate and graduate electrical engineering students. Notable programs include:
- IEEE Presidents' Scholarship: $10,000 for undergraduate IEEE student members
- IEEE Life Members' Graduate Study Fellowship: $10,000 for graduate students
- IEEE Power & Energy Society Scholarship Plus Initiative: $2,000–$5,000 for students in power and energy systems
- Multiple section and chapter scholarships: $1,000–$5,000 through regional IEEE sections
IEEE student membership costs approximately $32/year. Most scholarships require membership. See ieee.org/scholarships for the full current list.
SMART Scholarship
Electrical engineering is among the highest-demand SMART Scholarship disciplines — DoD EE research spans radar, communications systems, electronic warfare, power electronics, and signal processing. Full tuition plus $25,000–$38,000/year stipend. Strong SMART placement from MIT, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Cornell, and Michigan.
Apply at smartscholarship.org.
Semiconductor industry graduate fellowships
Intel, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Texas Instruments, and AMD all run graduate fellowship programs for PhD students in EE and ECE:
- Intel PhD Fellowship: $25,000–$30,000/year plus internship for PhD students in semiconductor-related research
- Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship: $100,000 for two-student PhD teams working on novel wireless, computing, or AI research
- NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship: $25,000/year for PhD students in GPU-relevant research
- Texas Instruments PhD Fellowship: Research stipend plus internship for PhD EE students
These fellowships are competitive and require alignment with the sponsoring company's research agenda — but for students targeting semiconductor or computing hardware careers, they represent substantial funding with direct industry relationship benefits.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
$37,000/year stipend plus $16,000/year cost-of-education for three years. Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and signal processing are core NSF GRFP disciplines. Apply at nsfgrfp.org. Deadline: late October.
DOE SCGSR
Power systems, grid technology, and energy conversion are active DOE research areas with strong EE relevance. DOE SCGSR provides $3,000/month supplement for graduate research at national laboratories. See science.osti.gov/wdts/scgsr.
Industry co-ops
Electrical and computer engineering co-ops have the second-highest per-rotation earnings of any engineering discipline after software/CS:
- Qualcomm: $32,000–$42,000/rotation (wireless, chips)
- Intel: $28,000–$38,000/rotation (semiconductor, chip design)
- Texas Instruments: $26,000–$35,000/rotation (analog/mixed-signal)
- Raytheon/Northrop Grumman: $27,000–$36,000/rotation (defense electronics, radar)
- NVIDIA: $30,000–$42,000/rotation (GPU, AI hardware)
Three rotations generates $80,000–$120,000+ in undergraduate earnings. See our co-op vs internship guide.
Best Schools for Electrical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
Ranked #1 nationally; home of EECS — the defining EE/CS joint program
MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) is the canonical example of the EE/CS overlap your instinct correctly identifies. The EECS degree is the most enrolled major at MIT — students design digital systems, invent hardware, and work across AI, robotics, cryptography, communications, and nanotechnology within one unified curriculum. The program reflects the reality that modern electrical engineering is inseparable from computing.
MIT's research labs — Lincoln Laboratory (defense electronics), Research Laboratory of Electronics, and Computer Science and AI Lab (CSAIL) — create direct SMART Scholarship pathways and semiconductor fellowship access. Need-blind for all domestic students; no loans for families under $90K.
SMART positioning: Excellent — MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a primary DoD electronics and communications research facility.
Financial snapshot: Need-blind; no loans under $90K. Highest IEEE and semiconductor fellowship placement of any program.
Stanford University (Stanford, CA)
Best for wireless, AI hardware, and Silicon Valley industry access
Stanford's EE department is consistently ranked #1 or #2 nationally. Research strengths span integrated circuits, wireless communications, photonics, energy systems, and AI hardware. The Silicon Valley location creates semiconductor and tech co-op access unlike any other geography — Qualcomm, Intel, Apple, and NVIDIA all have deep Stanford recruiting relationships.
Stanford is need-blind for domestic undergraduates and meets 100% of demonstrated need. Average aid package approximately $70,000 for families with demonstrated need. Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship recipients frequently come from Stanford.
Financial snapshot: Need-blind; avg $70K aid. Best semiconductor industry recruiting access.
UC Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
Ranked #1 or #2 nationally; best value for California residents
Berkeley's EECS department (Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences — note the overlap again) is consistently ranked alongside MIT and Stanford at the top. Research spans circuits, communications, energy, robotics, and computing systems. Berkeley's semiconductor research relationships are exceptional — UC Berkeley has historically produced more semiconductor industry leaders than any other institution.
California residents benefit from Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan and Cal Grants making Berkeley dramatically more affordable than private peers. Berkeley's SMART Scholarship access is strong through its DoD and national laboratory research relationships.
Financial snapshot: In-state tuition + Blue and Gold + Cal Grant for CA residents. Best value top-3 EE program.
Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
Best value nationally; strongest SMART placement; top-5 ECE program
Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is consistently ranked top 5 nationally. Research spans communications, signal processing, bioelectronics, power electronics, and microelectronics. The ECE department has one of the highest SMART Scholarship award rates of any EE program — driven by strong DoD research relationships in communications and radar systems.
Georgia Tech in-state tuition (~$12,000/year) combined with the strongest SMART placement in EE outside of MIT makes it the best financial value in top-ranked electrical engineering. The co-op program includes Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Intel, and Texas Instruments among its partners.
Financial snapshot: ~$12,000/year in-state for GA residents. Best cost-to-ranking ratio. Strong SMART + co-op.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, IL)
Top-5 nationally; strongest semiconductor and computing industry pipeline
Illinois's Grainger College ECE department is consistently ranked top 5 nationally — particularly strong in semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and communications systems. The department's industry relationships with Texas Instruments, Motorola (now Google), and Qualcomm run deep. The Research Park on campus creates direct co-op access to tech companies operating within the university ecosystem.
Illinois in-state tuition is approximately $15,000/year. SMART Scholarship access is strong through Illinois's DoD research programs in communications and signal processing.
Financial snapshot: In-state tuition ~$15K/yr for IL residents. Strong semiconductor industry pipeline.
Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
Top-10 nationally; strongest power systems and analog circuits program
Cornell's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is consistently top 10 nationally. Research strengths include nanofabrication, power systems, bioelectronics, and quantum computing. Cornell's co-op program and career fair give students access to defense electronics employers (Raytheon, L3Harris, Lockheed) and semiconductor companies alike.
Cornell offers strong need-based institutional aid — meets 100% of demonstrated need for admitted students. For students interested in power systems engineering, Cornell has one of the strongest programs in the country with direct relevance to energy grid modernization — a DOE research priority.
Financial snapshot: Meets 100% of demonstrated need. Strong power systems + DOE SCGSR access.
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
Top-5 nationally; best defense electronics and automotive EE pipeline
Michigan's EECS department is consistently ranked top 5 nationally. Strong programs in power electronics, RF systems, and integrated circuit design. Michigan's defense research relationships — particularly with Air Force Research Laboratory and Naval Research Laboratory — produce strong SMART Scholarship placement. The automotive industry crossover (Ford, GM, Stellantis all use significant EE talent) creates co-op access unavailable at most programs.
Michigan residents benefit from Go Blue Guarantee (free tuition under $65K family income). Michigan Space Grant Consortium provides additional fellowship access for EE students in communications or remote sensing research.
Financial snapshot: Go Blue Guarantee for MI residents under $65K. Strong defense electronics SMART pipeline.
Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
Top-10 nationally; SMART at undergraduate level; strong defense electronics
Purdue's ECE department is consistently top 10 nationally with particular strength in RF/microwave engineering, power electronics, and communications systems — all high-demand SMART disciplines. Purdue participates in SMART Scholarship at the undergraduate level, making it one of few EE programs where undergraduates can access full funding.
Indiana residents benefit from in-state tuition and Purdue's tuition freeze policy. Defense co-op employers — Raytheon, Northrop, General Dynamics — recruit heavily from Purdue ECE.
Financial snapshot: In-state tuition + Purdue Freeze. SMART at undergraduate level. Strong defense electronics pipeline.
UT Austin (Austin, TX)
Top-10 nationally; best value for Texas residents; semiconductor industry access
UT Austin's Cockrell School ECE department is consistently ranked top 10 nationally. The Texas Instruments connection — TI was founded by UT Austin faculty and maintains deep research relationships — creates co-op and fellowship access unavailable elsewhere. The Austin tech corridor (Dell, Apple Austin, Samsung Austin Semiconductor, IBM) generates additional EE co-op density.
Texas residents benefit from in-state tuition, TEXAS Grant, and UT's strong need-based aid programs.
Financial snapshot: In-state tuition + TEXAS Grant for TX residents. Texas Instruments fellowship pipeline.
Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)
Best for computer engineering and AI hardware crossover
CMU's ECE department consistently ranks in the top 5 for computer engineering specifically. The Electrical and Computer Engineering program is where hardware meets software — CMU's strengths in computer architecture, VLSI, and AI hardware systems are unmatched. For students whose EE interests lean heavily toward computing hardware, CMU's depth in this area exceeds most programs.
CMU offers strong need-based institutional aid — average grant approximately $42,000. Strong semiconductor and tech company recruiting including Intel, Qualcomm, and NVIDIA.
Financial snapshot: Strong need-based aid; avg $42K grant. Best computer engineering/AI hardware crossover.
Explore electrical engineering and related disciplines
- Best colleges for engineering — national pillar, SMART Scholarship overview
- Best colleges for computer engineering / software engineering — EE/CS/CE overlap disciplines
- Best colleges for aerospace engineering — avionics and systems crossover
- Best engineering schools in Texas — UT Austin EE deep dive
- Co-op vs internship — semiconductor and defense co-op earnings
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