Manufacturing Engineering: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Manufacturing Engineering graduates earn a median $88,451 four years after finishing — $40,091/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 1.7 years. Federal data pools 37 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 515 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Manufacturing Engineering ranks #29 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 86% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern University | IL | $97,819 |
| 2 | National University | CA | $97,525 |
| 3 | Grand Valley State University | MI | $95,416 |
| 4 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | CA | $93,042 |
| 5 | Brigham Young University | UT | $92,122 |
| 6 | Dunwoody College of Technology | MN | $90,176 |
| 7 | Texas State University | TX | $88,995 |
| 8 | Bradley University | IL | $88,690 |
| 9 | University of Wisconsin-Stout | WI | $87,431 |
| 10 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | $85,911 |
| 11 | Oregon State University | OR | $85,369 |
| 12 | Oregon State University-Cascades Campus | OR | $85,369 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.