Back to Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering.
Doctoral Degree•126 Institutions
Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.
Annual Full Cost vs. Median Earnings
Each dot represents one program at an institution. Shows the spread of annual sticker price (or net price if sticker price is unavailable) vs earnings 4 years post-grad.
Field Median ($106,068)
P25-P75 Interval ($90,412 - $117,572)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution | State | Earnings | Avg Net Price | Median Debt | Lifetime Value Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanford | CA | $218,808 Nat: $131,070 4yr Post-Grad | $13,807 /yr | - | +$913k |
Ann Arbor | MI | $147,335 Nat: $131,070 4yr Post-Grad | $13,138 /yr | - | +$396k |
Los Angeles | CA | $117,572 Nat: $131,070 2yr Post-Grad | $12,548 /yr | - | +$214k |
Cambridge | MA | $112,885 Nat: $131,070 2yr Post-Grad | $20,111 /yr | - | +$151k |
Berkeley | CA | $109,763 Nat: $131,070 2yr Post-Grad | $13,481 /yr | - | +$151k |
Gainesville | FL | $106,068 Nat: $131,070 4yr Post-Grad | $6,541 /yr | - | +$116k |
Columbus | OH | $98,743 Nat: $131,070 2yr Post-Grad | $17,339 /yr | - | +$52k |
Blacksburg | VA | $97,959 Nat: $131,070 2yr Post-Grad | $24,953 /yr | - | +$19k |
Huntsville | AL | - Nat: $131,070 | $18,796 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tuscaloosa | AL | - Nat: $131,070 | $22,420 /yr | - | -$0 |
Auburn | AL | - Nat: $131,070 | $24,323 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tempe | AZ | - Nat: $131,070 | $14,967 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tucson | AZ | - Nat: $131,070 | $16,674 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pasadena | CA | - Nat: $131,070 | $16,075 /yr | - | -$0 |
Davis | CA | - Nat: $131,070 | $14,741 /yr | - | -$0 |
Irvine | CA | - Nat: $131,070 | $14,251 /yr | - | -$0 |
Riverside | CA | - Nat: $131,070 | $14,304 /yr | - | -$0 |
La Jolla | CA | - Nat: $131,070 | $12,470 /yr | - | -$0 |
Santa Barbara | CA | - Nat: $131,070 | $16,109 /yr | - | -$0 |
Golden | CO | - Nat: $131,070 | $28,690 /yr | - | -$0 |
Fort Collins | CO | - Nat: $131,070 | $21,279 /yr | - | -$0 |
Denver | CO | - Nat: $131,070 | $36,131 /yr | - | -$0 |
Storrs | CT | - Nat: $131,070 | $25,097 /yr | - | -$0 |
Newark | DE | - Nat: $131,070 | $17,799 /yr | - | -$0 |
Washington | DC | - Nat: $131,070 | $29,561 /yr | - | -$0 |
Washington | DC | - Nat: $131,070 | $36,586 /yr | - | -$0 |
Washington | DC | - Nat: $131,070 | $50,539 /yr | - | -$0 |
Orlando | FL | - Nat: $131,070 | $10,411 /yr | - | -$0 |
Miami | FL | - Nat: $131,070 | $9,288 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tallahassee | FL | - Nat: $131,070 | $11,297 /yr | - | -$0 |
Coral Gables | FL | - Nat: $131,070 | $37,244 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tampa | FL | - Nat: $131,070 | $9,812 /yr | - | -$0 |
Atlanta | GA | - Nat: $131,070 | $12,116 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chicago | IL | - Nat: $131,070 | $10,974 /yr | - | -$0 |
Champaign | IL | - Nat: $131,070 | $14,355 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chicago | IL | - Nat: $131,070 | $18,425 /yr | - | -$0 |
Evanston | IL | - Nat: $131,070 | $29,167 /yr | - | -$0 |
Ames | IA | - Nat: $131,070 | $18,589 /yr | - | -$0 |
Iowa City | IA | - Nat: $131,070 | $22,531 /yr | - | -$0 |
Lawrence | KS | - Nat: $131,070 | $18,059 /yr | - | -$0 |
Manhattan | KS | - Nat: $131,070 | $19,406 /yr | - | -$0 |
Wichita | KS | - Nat: $131,070 | $13,194 /yr | - | -$0 |
Lexington | KY | - Nat: $131,070 | $18,851 /yr | - | -$0 |
Baltimore | MD | - Nat: $131,070 | $18,809 /yr | - | -$0 |
Baltimore | MD | - Nat: $131,070 | $16,467 /yr | - | -$0 |
College Park | MD | - Nat: $131,070 | $15,678 /yr | - | -$0 |
Boston | MA | - Nat: $131,070 | $24,402 /yr | - | -$0 |
Lowell | MA | - Nat: $131,070 | $17,163 /yr | - | -$0 |
Amherst | MA | - Nat: $131,070 | $22,383 /yr | - | -$0 |
Boston | MA | - Nat: $131,070 | $30,915 /yr | - | -$0 |
Medford | MA | - Nat: $131,070 | $39,998 /yr | - | -$0 |
East Lansing | MI | - Nat: $131,070 | $19,680 /yr | - | -$0 |
Houghton | MI | - Nat: $131,070 | $14,182 /yr | - | -$0 |
Rochester Hills | MI | - Nat: $131,070 | $9,120 /yr | - | -$0 |
Detroit | MI | - Nat: $131,070 | $12,766 /yr | - | -$0 |
Kalamazoo | MI | - Nat: $131,070 | $15,273 /yr | - | -$0 |
Minneapolis | MN | - Nat: $131,070 | $16,778 /yr | - | -$0 |
Columbia | MO | - Nat: $131,070 | $20,268 /yr | - | -$0 |
Rolla | MO | - Nat: $131,070 | $16,298 /yr | - | -$0 |
St. Louis | MO | - Nat: $131,070 | $21,786 /yr | - | -$0 |
Lincoln | NE | - Nat: $131,070 | $17,747 /yr | - | -$0 |
Las Vegas | NV | - Nat: $131,070 | $10,359 /yr | - | -$0 |
Durham | NH | - Nat: $131,070 | $23,805 /yr | - | -$0 |
Princeton | NJ | - Nat: $131,070 | $6,128 /yr | - | -$0 |
New Brunswick | NJ | - Nat: $131,070 | $24,406 /yr | - | -$0 |
Hoboken | NJ | - Nat: $131,070 | $41,346 /yr | - | -$0 |
New York | NY | - Nat: $131,070 | $21,590 /yr | - | -$0 |
Ithaca | NY | - Nat: $131,070 | $28,690 /yr | - | -$0 |
New York | NY | - Nat: $131,070 | $3,776 /yr | - | -$0 |
New York | NY | - Nat: $131,070 | $37,050 /yr | - | -$0 |
Troy | NY | - Nat: $131,070 | $36,228 /yr | - | -$0 |
Rochester | NY | - Nat: $131,070 | $29,278 /yr | - | -$0 |
Buffalo | NY | - Nat: $131,070 | $20,995 /yr | - | -$0 |
Syracuse | NY | - Nat: $131,070 | $38,793 /yr | - | -$0 |
Durham | NC | - Nat: $131,070 | $29,612 /yr | - | -$0 |
Greensboro | NC | - Nat: $131,070 | $10,846 /yr | - | -$0 |
Charlotte | NC | - Nat: $131,070 | $15,435 /yr | - | -$0 |
Raleigh | NC | - Nat: $131,070 | $17,303 /yr | - | -$0 |
Akron | OH | - Nat: $131,070 | $13,946 /yr | - | -$0 |
Cleveland | OH | - Nat: $131,070 | $41,190 /yr | - | -$0 |
Cincinnati | OH | - Nat: $131,070 | $25,648 /yr | - | -$0 |
Dayton | OH | - Nat: $131,070 | $29,533 /yr | - | -$0 |
Stillwater | OK | - Nat: $131,070 | $17,447 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tulsa | OK | - Nat: $131,070 | $15,000 /yr | - | -$0 |
Corvallis | OR | - Nat: $131,070 | $19,604 /yr | - | -$0 |
Portland State University ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Portland | OR | - Nat: $131,070 | $9,552 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pittsburgh | PA | - Nat: $131,070 | $31,944 /yr | - | -$0 |
Philadelphia | PA | - Nat: $131,070 | $38,509 /yr | - | -$0 |
Bethlehem | PA | - Nat: $131,070 | $36,931 /yr | - | -$0 |
University Park | PA | - Nat: $131,070 | $32,875 /yr | - | -$0 |
Philadelphia | PA | - Nat: $131,070 | $28,699 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pittsburgh | PA | - Nat: $131,070 | $30,434 /yr | - | -$0 |
Kingston | RI | - Nat: $131,070 | $21,440 /yr | - | -$0 |
Columbia | SC | - Nat: $131,070 | $22,811 /yr | - | -$0 |
Rapid City | SD | - Nat: $131,070 | $20,183 /yr | - | -$0 |
Knoxville | TN | - Nat: $131,070 | $18,976 /yr | - | -$0 |
Nashville | TN | - Nat: $131,070 | $15,846 /yr | - | -$0 |
Waco | TX | - Nat: $131,070 | $41,104 /yr | - | -$0 |
Houston | TX | - Nat: $131,070 | $14,276 /yr | - | -$0 |
Houston | TX | - Nat: $131,070 | $13,370 /yr | - | -$0 |
Dallas | TX | - Nat: $131,070 | $40,892 /yr | - | -$0 |
College Station | TX | - Nat: $131,070 | $21,315 /yr | - | -$0 |
The University of Texas at Arlington ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Arlington | TX | - Nat: $131,070 | $13,951 /yr | - | -$0 |
Richardson | TX | - Nat: $131,070 | $18,267 /yr | - | -$0 |
El Paso | TX | - Nat: $131,070 | $9,403 /yr | - | -$0 |
San Antonio | TX | - Nat: $131,070 | $10,836 /yr | - | -$0 |
Lubbock | TX | - Nat: $131,070 | $19,070 /yr | - | -$0 |
Provo | UT | - Nat: $131,070 | $15,564 /yr | - | -$0 |
Logan | UT | - Nat: $131,070 | $14,936 /yr | - | -$0 |
Salt Lake City | UT | - Nat: $131,070 | $16,200 /yr | - | -$0 |
Burlington | VT | - Nat: $131,070 | $19,343 /yr | - | -$0 |
Charlottesville | VA | - Nat: $131,070 | $21,565 /yr | - | -$0 |
Seattle | WA | - Nat: $131,070 | $14,091 /yr | - | -$0 |
Milwaukee | WI | - Nat: $131,070 | $31,487 /yr | - | -$0 |
Madison | WI | - Nat: $131,070 | $17,354 /yr | - | -$0 |
Laramie | WY | - Nat: $131,070 | $13,599 /yr | - | -$0 |
West Lafayette | IN | - Nat: $131,070 | $14,600 /yr | - | -$0 |
Waterbury | CT | - Nat: $131,070 | $10,875 /yr | - | -$0 |
Groton | CT | - Nat: $131,070 | $13,807 /yr | - | -$0 |
Stamford | CT | - Nat: $131,070 | $16,798 /yr | - | -$0 |
Bend | OR | - Nat: $131,070 | $18,048 /yr | - | -$0 |
Merced | CA | - Nat: $131,070 | $11,983 /yr | - | -$0 |
Hartford | CT | - Nat: $131,070 | $16,403 /yr | - | -$0 |
Austin | TX | $90,412 Nat: $131,070 2yr Post-Grad | $19,857 /yr | - | -$21k |
Notre Dame | IN | $87,754 Nat: $131,070 2yr Post-Grad | $26,780 /yr | - | -$67k |
Boulder | CO | $63,005 Nat: $131,070 2yr Post-Grad | $25,346 /yr | - | -$253k |
Analysis Notes:
- Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median bachelor's degree holder, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes.
- Avg Net Price: The average price paid by students who receive federal financial aid (grants/loans).Note: For graduate programs, the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition and net price.
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.