Nuclear Engineering Enrollments and Degrees Survey
The 2021-2022 ORISE Nuclear Engineering Enrollments and Degrees Survey (.PDF, 210 KB) reports degrees granted for the academic years September 2020 to August 2021 and September 2021 to August 2022 and enrollments for Fall 2022. Thirty-five nuclear academic programs were surveyed, with all thirty-five responding; thirty-one programs responded with degree data, and 25 responded with enrollment data. Two schools indicated their programs either had already phased out or were in the process of doing so, namely, University of Cincinnati and University of Maine. The enrollments and degrees data include students majoring in nuclear engineering or in an option program equivalent to a major.
See also: 2019 data (.PDF, 363 KB)
To conduct a more thorough data analysis, view the Nuclear Engineering Enrollments & Degrees 50-Year Trend Assessment from 1966 to 2015 (.PDF, 366 KB).
Shortfall in young engineers threatens Nuclear Renaissance
Between 2012 and 2022, the number of students graduating with bachelor’s degrees in nuclear engineering in the U.S. fell by 25%, according to the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, with the class of 2022 seeing only 454 students graduate with a degree in the field. At the same time, the nuclear industry is facing a maturing workforce, with 17% of workers in the industry over the age of 55 and 60% aged between 30 and 54, according to the 2024 U.S. Energy and Employment report. The report also highlighted that 23% of workers were aged under 30, compared with 29% for other energy workers.