Mechanical Engineering: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Mechanical Engineering graduates earn a median $92,135 four years after finishing — $43,775/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 1.5 years. Federal data pools 388 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 35,272 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Mechanical Engineering ranks #20 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 91% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | $131,967 |
| 2 | Santa Clara University | CA | $122,111 |
| 3 | Duke University | NC | $120,991 |
| 4 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | $119,371 |
| 5 | Stanford University | CA | $117,072 |
| 6 | Princeton University | NJ | $115,927 |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $114,492 |
| 8 | Cornell University | NY | $112,212 |
| 9 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | $111,491 |
| 10 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | $110,210 |
| 11 | Rice University | TX | $108,970 |
| 12 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | $108,875 |
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.