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Using science and data we decided to determine which programs offer the best career opportunities for operations research Majors. Here are the set of the top colleges for operations research Majors in US for 2021:
  1. Princeton University
  2. Cornell University
  3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  4. Columbia University in the City of New York
  5. University of California, Berkeley
  6. Georgia Institute of Technology
  7. Northeastern University
  8. Carnegie Mellon University
  9. Case Western Reserve University
  10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
If you go to one of these schools, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

25 best colleges for operations research majors in the US

1. Princeton University

Location
Princeton, NJ
Admission rate: 5%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $73,600

2. Cornell University

Location
Ithaca, NY
Admission rate: 11%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $76,300

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

Location
New York, NY
Admission rate: 6%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $77,900

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Location
Cambridge, MA
Admission rate: 7%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $99,600

5. University of California, Berkeley

Location
Berkeley, CA
Admission rate: 15%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $57,600

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Location
Atlanta, GA
Admission rate: 22%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $66,100

7. Northeastern University

Location
Boston, MA
Admission rate: 19%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $57,800

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Admission rate: 17%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $84,000

9. Case Western Reserve University

Location
Cleveland, OH
Admission rate: 29%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $69,900

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Admission rate: 23%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,900

11. Southern Methodist University

Location
Dallas, TX
Admission rate: 51%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $68,100

12. University of Texas at Austin

Location
Austin, TX
Admission rate: 39%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $52,200

13. University of Southern California

Location
Los Angeles, CA
Admission rate: 13%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $61,400

14. Baruch College of the City University of New York

Location
New York, NY
Admission rate: 39%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $47,500

15. North Carolina State University

Location
Raleigh, NC
Admission rate: 47%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $45,000

16. SUNY Stony Brook

Location
Stony Brook, NY
Admission rate: 42%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $44,000

17. Milwaukee School of Engineering

Location
Milwaukee, WI
Admission rate: 63%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $58,800

18. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Location
New Brunswick, NJ
Admission rate: 60%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $48,200

19. New York University

Location
New York, NY
Admission rate: 20%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $55,900

20. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Location
Champaign, IL
Admission rate: 62%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $52,300

21. University of Washington

Location
Seattle, WA
Admission rate: 49%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $50,300

22. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Location
Troy, NY
Admission rate: 43%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $66,700

23. Missouri University of Science and Technology

Location
Rolla, MO
Admission rate: 84%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $57,200

24. Pennsylvania State University

Location
University Park, PA
Admission rate: 56%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $43,600

25. California State University - Northridge

Location
Northridge, CA
Admission rate: 51%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $37,400

How we determined the best operations research colleges

We looked at the following data from the NCES (National Center For Education Statistics) and College Scorecard data from ED.gov to understand what operations research departments offer the best career opportunities:
  • Percentage of Graduating Class That Are Business Majors
  • Mean Earnings After 10 Years
  • Mean Earnings After 6 Years
  • Admission Rate (More selective the better)
  • Average cost of attendance (Lower is better)
  • Median amount of debt
  • Ratio of people working to not working after 10 years