ABET Accreditation Explained: Why It Matters for Engineering Degrees in the US
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026
ABET accreditation confirms an engineering program meets a recognized set of technical and educational standards. It affects your eligibility for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and a Professional Engineer (PE) license later, and some employers screen for it directly.
🎓 Most US states set an ABET-accredited degree as the standard path to PE licensure.
Search any program's accreditation status free on the ABET website before you apply.
Foreign engineering degrees are usually not ABET-accredited, so plan for NCEES credential evaluation if you want a US license later.
Not every engineering career needs a PE license, so confirm what your target role requires.
What ABET accreditation means
ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) reviews engineering, computing, applied science, and engineering technology programs against standards covering curriculum, faculty, facilities, and student outcomes. Programs go through review on a repeating six-year cycle to keep their accreditation (ABET ). Search any US program's status with the free ABET accredited program search .
Accreditation attaches to a specific degree program at a specific university, not to the school overall. One university's mechanical engineering degree might carry ABET accreditation while its computer science degree does not, since computing programs go through a separate ABET commission with its own criteria. Confirm the exact degree title and campus rather than assuming a well-known university name guarantees accreditation.
ABET's four accreditation commissions
ABET accredits programs through four separate commissions, each with its own criteria: the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) for traditional engineering degrees, the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) for engineering technology degrees, the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) for computer science and related computing degrees, and the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission (ASAC) for applied science degrees.
The commission matters for licensure. State boards generally reference an EAC-accredited engineering degree when setting the standard PE eligibility path, not the ETAC or CAC paths. An engineering technology degree, even from a well-regarded program, sometimes hits extra hurdles for PE licensure compared to a traditional EAC-accredited engineering degree, depending on the state.
Why it matters for licensure
Becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the US runs through two exams administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES ): the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, typically taken in your final year or right after graduation, and the PE exam, taken after several years of supervised engineering experience.
Most states set an ABET-accredited degree as the standard qualification for sitting the FE exam and applying for licensure later. Rules differ by state. Some states accept non-ABET degrees given extra years of documented engineering experience, and a few accept related science degrees case by case. Check your target state's engineering licensing board directly, since requirements sit at the state level.
What this means if you trained outside the US
Engineering degrees earned outside the US are usually not ABET-accredited, since ABET's international activity mostly covers specific non-US programs through separate agreements, not a blanket recognition of foreign degrees. If you plan to pursue a PE license after a foreign degree, NCEES runs a credential evaluation service for international professionals that assesses whether your degree matches an ABET-accredited one.
If you are choosing between US engineering programs, check each program's ABET status before you enroll. Review happens at the program level and status changes over a school's history, so a school's general reputation tells you nothing about a specific degree's current status.
Does every engineering career need this?
A PE license is a legal requirement to sign off on public infrastructure work such as bridges, buildings, and civil projects, and for some government and consulting roles. Many engineering jobs in software, semiconductors, and private industry do not require a PE license, and employers there often weigh your portfolio and internships more heavily than accreditation status.
Some employers still use ABET accreditation as a fast screen for entry-level engineering hires, especially larger firms and government contractors, since it signals a recognized baseline. Ask your target employers directly whether ABET status affects hiring for the roles you want, since this varies by industry and company.
| Field | How common PE licensure is |
|---|---|
| Civil, structural, environmental engineering | Common, often required to sign off on public projects |
| Mechanical or chemical engineering in consulting or public-facing roles | Common in some roles, optional in others |
| Software or computer engineering in private industry | Rare, most employers do not require it |
| Electrical engineering in power or utility roles | Common, less common in electronics or semiconductor roles |
Common misconceptions
ABET accreditation of a university does not extend automatically to every program on that campus.
A high overall university ranking does not guarantee ABET accreditation for a specific department.
ABET accreditation is not the same as regional or national institutional accreditation, which covers the whole university and is a separate requirement for financial aid and transfer credit.
A program losing ABET status mid-degree does not retroactively affect students who graduated while the program held accreditation. Confirm this detail with your registrar if it applies to you.
Timing your application around accreditation
New engineering programs sometimes admit students before earning full ABET accreditation, running on candidacy status while their first cohort works toward graduation. A program on candidacy status generally leads to accreditation retroactive to your entry year once approved, but confirm this directly with the department rather than assuming it, since outcomes differ by program and review cycle.
How to check before you enroll
Search the exact program name and campus on the ABET program search .
Read the ABET licensure and registration page for how accreditation connects to state licensing.
Contact the licensing board in the state where you plan to work, since PE requirements are set state by state.
If you already hold a foreign engineering degree, start the NCEES international credential evaluation early. It takes months.