California State University-Chico Mechanical Engineering: Salary, Debt & Careers

Earnings, 4 years after graduating

$93,555

U.S. median for this major: $91,190.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after

$73,297

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation

$24,354

About 26% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $24,876.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays

$14,480 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $26,283. College Scorecard.

Mechanical Engineering at California colleges

Every California college we cover that reports Mechanical Engineering graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

Rank	College	Earnings, 4 yrs	Median debt	Avg. net price	Graduation
1	California State University Maritime Academy	$126,395	$19,690	$20,555	60%
2	Santa Clara University	$122,111	$19,500	$50,062	88%
3	University of California-Berkeley	$119,371	$13,200	$13,481	93%
4	Stanford University	$117,072	—	$13,807	92%
5	University of California-Los Angeles	$108,875	$17,000	$12,548	93%
6	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$106,750	$20,500	$16,665	86%
7	California Baptist University	$105,046	$27,000	$26,285	62%
8	University of Southern California	$104,649	$17,500	$32,740	92%
9	University of California-Santa Barbara	$104,336	$15,908	$16,109	83%
10	University of California-San Diego	$104,229	$20,000	$12,470	86%
11	University of California-Davis	$102,161	$15,000	$14,741	86%
12	San Francisco State University	$102,104	$22,047	$12,278	50%
13	University of the Pacific	$99,573	$28,596	$25,447	69%
14	California State University-Northridge	$99,216	$18,000	$7,021	57%
15	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	$99,148	$17,455	$11,531	68%
16	University of California-Irvine	$99,111	$14,500	$14,251	87%
17	San Diego State University	$97,825	$19,994	$15,364	76%
18	Loyola Marymount University	$96,226	$21,000	$48,381	79%
19	California State University-Long Beach	$95,957	$17,653	$10,440	69%
20	University of California-Merced	$95,040	$18,500	$11,983	69%
21	California State University-Sacramento	$93,878	$19,399	$9,338	56%
22	University of California-Riverside	$93,721	$21,000	$14,304	76%
23	California State University-Chico	$93,555	$24,354	$14,480	63%
24	California State University-Los Angeles	$93,028	$13,000	$3,967	53%
25	University of San Diego	$91,848	$26,093	$30,365	84%
26	California State University-Fresno	$88,002	$17,533	$7,000	57%
27	California State University-Fullerton	$86,808	$19,040	$6,555	70%

2 more California colleges offer Mechanical Engineering but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Mechanical Engineering graduates

Mechanical engineer

Chico area$109,210

California$130,900

U.S.$104,110

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +11.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Cost Estimators

Chico area$81,140

California$85,460

U.S.$78,740

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -3.1% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Architectural and Engineering Managers

California$210,280

U.S.$171,270

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.5% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at California State University-Chico, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About California State University-Chico

Acceptance rate: 93% · admissions
Graduation rate: 63% within 6 years
Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $64,172
Full cost breakdown · all 81 majors · overview

Related majors at California State University-Chico

Electrical Engineering—
Civil Engineering$92,472
Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—

California State University-Chico Mechanical Engineering questions

How much do California State University-Chico Mechanical Engineering graduates earn?

Mechanical Engineering graduates of California State University-Chico earn a median $93,555 four years after graduating and $73,297 one year after. The U.S. median for Mechanical Engineering graduates across 316 colleges is $91,190.

How much debt do California State University-Chico Mechanical Engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Mechanical Engineering graduates of California State University-Chico is $24,354, about 26% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $24,876.

Where does California State University-Chico rank for Mechanical Engineering in California?

Of 27 California colleges reporting Mechanical Engineering graduate earnings, California State University-Chico ranks 23rd. The highest is California State University Maritime Academy at $126,395.

What jobs do Mechanical Engineering graduates get?

A common career is mechanical engineer, with a median wage of $109,210 in the Chico, CA area and $104,110 nationally. Others include cost estimators and architectural and engineering managers.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “California State University-Chico Mechanical Engineering: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/california-state-university-chico/majors/mechanical-engineering (College Scorecard and BLS data).

California State University-Chico Mechanical Engineering: earnings, debt & careers