[EricH]

If the engineering school hasn't been accredited, you don't want to go there. But if ABET has accredited the school, you'll get a similar quality of education as at any other ABET accredited school. At that point, reputation becomes a matter of "how well known is this school", which doesn't really work out to "X is better than Y because they're better known".

Will reputation help? Possibly. But Purdue vs Rutgers in engineering reputation? Har. That's close enough that it doesn't really matter. (Either of those vs Wilkes, though, no question on who's better known nationally.)