Top ENR Firms are Hiring from ACCE Accredited Programs

Every year, Engineering News Record (ENR) lists the top construction contractors in the country, and it came as no surprise that 86% of the ENR Top 50 firms are hiring at American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) accredited programs.

As part of its Fiftieth Year celebration the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) sponsored a university research study in collaboration with faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Cal Polytechnic San Louis Obispo and Northern Arizona University on Engineering News Record Top 400 Contractors recruiting of graduates from ACCE accredited programs at Colleges and Universities.  ACCE is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation CHEA, the major national voice for advancing academic quality assurance in the United States.

Results of the study were presented at ACCE’s mid-year meetings in Irving, Texas, on February 21, 2025.  As expected, the top companies recruit heavily at the programs with the largest enrollments. ACCE-accredited programs span the country from Massachusetts to Florida, Washington to Southern California, and everywhere in between, and national contractors recruit heavily across the country. Three of the ENR Top 50 firms were reported to be recruiting at 20 or more ACCE-accredited programs.

ACCE accreditation achieves this level of buy-in from employers by encouraging and requiring the inclusion of industry professionals at every step of the accreditation process. Industry professionals create and vote on appropriate outcomes for accredited degrees and are members of teams that review each program to ensure compliance with accreditation standards. Graduates of an ACCE-accredited program never have to worry about the return on investment of their degree; their skill sets are in demand nationwide.

ENR TOP 400 - RECRUITING at ACCE

Four of the largest programs, Texas A&M, University of Florida, Virginia Tech, and Cal Poly, reported more than 50 ENR Top 400 firms recruiting from their programs.  The next two tiers, comprising nine programs, reported 24-40 ENR Top 400 firms recruiting from their programs. Seven of those nine institutions have enrollments significantly lower than their large-enrollment peers.  While the largest firms need to hire many graduates each year, ENR Top 400 contractors are seeking qualified graduates from a wide variety of ACCE-accredited programs.

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