<p>Is there anything behind the US News rankings of undergrad engineering programs? On the one hand, they include schools such as Cooper Union and Rose-Hulman which cannot be included in the general rankings, but on the other hand, they are based only on the peer assessment score (someone got lazy?). So, in short, is there anything behind these numbers? Would the peer assessment at least imply the top programs are highly regarded by grad schools/employers or should one just stick to the national university rankings?</p>
<p>The US News undergrad engineering rankings are pretty accurate and will give you a good start in your search. But, the top eng schools according to peer assessment are different from each other in important ways. You can use US News as a starting point, then drill down to get details, weigh what is important to you personally, use other sources of information, and make your own personal ranking. Peer Assessment (reputation) generally develops because schools deserve the reputation for concrete reasons.</p>