<p>", relatively unknown Engineering schools" - depends on the audience </p>
<p>When DH and I (both engineers) started researching colleges, we had never heard of Rose-Hullman or Harvey Mudd or Olin. All are intense, undergrad-only schools which are well represented in rankings… just not well known. Now I know a lot about them all. DS attends Olin and was also accepted to Mudd. (I never could get him interested in Terre Haute.) </p>
<p>A different kind of example is small STEM-centric schools with strong regional reputations - Clarkson, WPI, RIT, Not quite as competitive admission, but very well regarded. </p>