Engineering, General: is this bachelor's degree worth it?
National picture across 59 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Positive payoff
+$160,772 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.
This is a positive modeled result. Price, time to finish and future earnings can still change the outcome.
6.3 yrsModeled economic break-even
+60%Modeled 10-year ROI
$88,063Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$88,063Median reported earnings · year 4
$90,852Average reported earnings · year 5
$26,978Median federal debt
85thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
59Reporting programs
57With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $85,144
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Reporting programs
- 6
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $75,246
- Federal debt
- $10,841
- Reporting programs
- 54
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $88,063
- Federal debt
- $26,978
- Reporting programs
- 59
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $123,834
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 29
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $138,039
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 2
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $122,252
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$84,649National median$88,06375th percentile$94,332
57 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Franklin W Olin College of Engineering$135,1362Cornell University$128,2073Harvey Mudd College$122,8454University of California, Davis$114,2285Carnegie Mellon University$110,2086Brown University$108,5507McNeese State University$107,3198Seattle Pacific University$106,2919Lafayette College$104,22210Michigan State University$102,301Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Engineers, All OtherSOC 17-2199 · 2 crosswalk linksArchitectural and Engineering ManagersSOC 11-9041 · 1 crosswalk linksEngineering Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1032 · 1 crosswalk linksNO MATCHSOC 99-9999 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 10-year ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin W Olin College of EngineeringBachelor's Degree | Needham, MA | $135,136 | $14,512 | +221% | Strong payoff |
| 2 | Cornell UniversityBachelor's Degree | Ithaca, NY | $128,207 | Not available | +182% | Strong payoff |
| 3 | Harvey Mudd CollegeBachelor's Degree | Claremont, CA | $122,845 | $22,240 | +140% | Strong payoff |
| 4 | University of California, DavisBachelor's Degree | Davis, CA | $114,228 | $15,000 | +190% | Strong payoff |
| 5 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityBachelor's Degree | Pittsburgh, PA | $110,208 | Not available | +112% | Strong payoff |
| 6 | Brown UniversityBachelor's Degree | Providence, RI | $108,550 | $14,500 | +126% | Strong payoff |
| 7 | McNeese State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Lake Charles, LA | $107,319 | $27,249 | +171% | Strong payoff |
| 8 | Seattle Pacific UniversityBachelor's Degree | Seattle, WA | $106,291 | $27,000 | +121% | Strong payoff |
| 9 | Lafayette CollegeBachelor's Degree | Easton, PA | $104,222 | Not available | +86% | Positive payoff |
| 10 | Michigan State UniversityBachelor's Degree | East Lansing, MI | $102,301 | $22,500 | +121% | Strong payoff |
| 11 | University of Virginia-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | Charlottesville, VA | $101,078 | Not available | +111% | Strong payoff |
| 12 | North Carolina State University at RaleighBachelor's Degree | Raleigh, NC | $99,838 | $30,518 | +120% | Strong payoff |
| 13 | Frostburg State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Frostburg, MD | $99,671 | $23,750 | +121% | Strong payoff |
| 14 | Wentworth Institute of TechnologyBachelor's Degree | Boston, MA | $96,695 | $27,000 | +63% | Positive payoff |
| 15 | Arizona State University Campus ImmersionBachelor's Degree | Tempe, AZ | $94,332 | $26,113 | +106% | Strong payoff |
| 16 | Texas Christian UniversityBachelor's Degree | Fort Worth, TX | $93,753 | $22,944 | +49% | Positive payoff |
| 17 | University of Missouri-ColumbiaBachelor's Degree | Columbia, MO | $92,426 | $23,250 | +82% | Positive payoff |
| 18 | University of Southern IndianaBachelor's Degree | Evansville, IN | $92,209 | Not available | +104% | Strong payoff |
| 19 | James Madison UniversityBachelor's Degree | Harrisonburg, VA | $91,761 | $25,000 | +71% | Positive payoff |
| 20 | University of Alabama in HuntsvilleBachelor's Degree | Huntsville, AL | $91,645 | Not available | +83% | Positive payoff |
| 21 | Walla Walla UniversityBachelor's Degree | College Place, WA | $91,473 | $27,625 | +70% | Positive payoff |
| 22 | George Fox UniversityBachelor's Degree | Newberg, OR | $91,427 | $27,000 | +51% | Positive payoff |
| 23 | John Brown UniversityBachelor's Degree | Siloam Springs, AR | $90,783 | $25,488 | +75% | Positive payoff |
| 24 | Mercer UniversityBachelor's Degree | Macon, GA | $88,413 | $26,000 | +58% | Positive payoff |
| 25 | University of North Carolina AshevilleBachelor's Degree | Asheville, NC | $88,346 | $31,000 | +89% | Positive payoff |
| 26 | Elizabethtown CollegeBachelor's Degree | Elizabethtown, PA | $88,104 | $27,000 | +51% | Positive payoff |
| 27 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State BrandywineBachelor's Degree | Media, PA | $88,063 | $27,000 | +59% | Positive payoff |
| 28 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBoisBachelor's Degree | DuBois, PA | $88,063 | $27,000 | +72% | Positive payoff |
| 29 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State HazletonBachelor's Degree | Hazleton, PA | $88,063 | $27,000 | +72% | Positive payoff |
| 30 | Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | University Park, PA | $88,063 | $27,000 | +38% | Positive payoff |
| 31 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State AbingtonBachelor's Degree | Abington, PA | $88,063 | $27,000 | +71% | Positive payoff |
| 32 | Stony Brook UniversityBachelor's Degree | Stony Brook, NY | $87,517 | $20,000 | +67% | Positive payoff |
| 33 | The University of Tennessee-MartinBachelor's Degree | Martin, TN | $87,043 | $29,750 | +89% | Positive payoff |
| 34 | Loyola University MarylandBachelor's Degree | Baltimore, MD | $86,585 | $27,000 | +38% | Positive payoff |
| 35 | Robert Morris UniversityBachelor's Degree | Moon Township, PA | $86,444 | $26,000 | +52% | Positive payoff |
| 36 | Wilkes UniversityBachelor's Degree | Wilkes-Barre, PA | $86,308 | $26,000 | +42% | Positive payoff |
| 37 | Smith CollegeBachelor's Degree | Northampton, MA | $86,262 | $19,000 | +42% | Positive payoff |
| 38 | University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesBachelor's Degree | Minneapolis, MN | $86,148 | $21,750 | +67% | Positive payoff |
| 39 | Northwest Nazarene UniversityBachelor's Degree | Nampa, ID | $85,643 | Not available | +36% | Positive payoff |
| 40 | Messiah UniversityBachelor's Degree | Mechanicsburg, PA | $84,927 | $25,798 | +40% | Positive payoff |
| 41 | East Carolina UniversityBachelor's Degree | Greenville, NC | $84,847 | $26,978 | +64% | Positive payoff |
| 42 | Baylor UniversityBachelor's Degree | Waco, TX | $84,689 | Not available | +15% | Positive payoff |
| 43 | Oral Roberts UniversityBachelor's Degree | Tulsa, OK | $84,649 | $26,917 | +41% | Positive payoff |
| 44 | Saint Vincent CollegeBachelor's Degree | Latrobe, PA | $84,180 | $27,000 | +43% | Positive payoff |
| 45 | Minnesota State University-MankatoBachelor's Degree | Mankato, MN | $82,903 | $27,627 | +48% | Positive payoff |
| 46 | Olivet Nazarene UniversityBachelor's Degree | Bourbonnais, IL | $82,632 | $27,000 | +43% | Positive payoff |
| 47 | Hope CollegeBachelor's Degree | Holland, MI | $82,513 | $27,000 | +30% | Positive payoff |
| 48 | Western Carolina UniversityBachelor's Degree | Cullowhee, NC | $82,500 | $25,550 | +61% | Positive payoff |
| 49 | Calvin UniversityBachelor's Degree | Grand Rapids, MI | $82,326 | $23,000 | +37% | Positive payoff |
| 50 | The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaBachelor's Degree | Chattanooga, TN | $81,757 | Not available | +55% | Positive payoff |
| 51 | Swarthmore CollegeBachelor's Degree | Swarthmore, PA | $78,519 | Not available | +23% | Positive payoff |
| 52 | University of HartfordBachelor's Degree | West Hartford, CT | $78,351 | $27,000 | +11% | Positive payoff |
| 53 | Fort Lewis CollegeBachelor's Degree | Durango, CO | $77,389 | $28,450 | +30% | Positive payoff |
| 54 | Geneva CollegeBachelor's Degree | Beaver Falls, PA | $75,535 | $27,000 | +8% | Positive payoff |
| 55 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestryBachelor's Degree | Syracuse, NY | $74,307 | Not available | +15% | Positive payoff |
| 56 | Marshall UniversityBachelor's Degree | Huntington, WV | $72,922 | $27,000 | +33% | Positive payoff |
| 57 | College of Staten Island CUNYBachelor's Degree | Staten Island, NY | $72,716 | Not available | +37% | Positive payoff |
| 58 | University of Southern CaliforniaBachelor's Degree | Los Angeles, CA | Not available | $2,750 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $32,740 |
| 59 | University of Maryland Eastern ShoreBachelor's Degree | Princess Anne, MD | Not available | $18,166 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $13,338 |
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.