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

Mechanical Engineering graduates of California State University-Sacramento earn a median $93,878 four years after graduating ($66,462 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $19,399. That is $2,688 above the U.S. median for Mechanical Engineering graduates ($91,190 across 316 colleges), and ranks 21st of 27 California colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$93,878

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

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after
$66,462

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$19,399

About 21% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $24,876.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$9,338 /yr

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

Sticker price $22,945. 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.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1California State University Maritime Academy$126,395$19,690$20,55560%
2Santa Clara University$122,111$19,500$50,06288%
3University of California-Berkeley$119,371$13,200$13,48193%
4Stanford University$117,072—$13,80792%
5University of California-Los Angeles$108,875$17,000$12,54893%
6California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$106,750$20,500$16,66586%
7California Baptist University$105,046$27,000$26,28562%
8University of Southern California$104,649$17,500$32,74092%
9University of California-Santa Barbara$104,336$15,908$16,10983%
10University of California-San Diego$104,229$20,000$12,47086%
11University of California-Davis$102,161$15,000$14,74186%
12San Francisco State University$102,104$22,047$12,27850%
13University of the Pacific$99,573$28,596$25,44769%
14California State University-Northridge$99,216$18,000$7,02157%
15California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$99,148$17,455$11,53168%
16University of California-Irvine$99,111$14,500$14,25187%
17San Diego State University$97,825$19,994$15,36476%
18Loyola Marymount University$96,226$21,000$48,38179%
19California State University-Long Beach$95,957$17,653$10,44069%
20University of California-Merced$95,040$18,500$11,98369%
21California State University-Sacramento$93,878$19,399$9,33856%
22University of California-Riverside$93,721$21,000$14,30476%
23California State University-Chico$93,555$24,354$14,48063%
24California State University-Los Angeles$93,028$13,000$3,96753%
25University of San Diego$91,848$26,093$30,36584%
26California State University-Fresno$88,002$17,533$7,00057%
27California State University-Fullerton$86,808$19,040$6,55570%

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

Careers for Mechanical Engineering graduates

Mechanical engineer

Sacramento area$120,970
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

Sacramento area$83,190
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

Sacramento area$193,970
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-Sacramento, by income

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

College Scorecard

About California State University-Sacramento

Related majors at California State University-Sacramento

California State University-Sacramento Mechanical Engineering questions

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

Mechanical Engineering graduates of California State University-Sacramento earn a median $93,878 four years after graduating and $66,462 one year after. The U.S. median for Mechanical Engineering graduates across 316 colleges is $91,190.

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

The median federal loan debt for Mechanical Engineering graduates of California State University-Sacramento is $19,399, about 21% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $24,876.

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

Of 27 California colleges reporting Mechanical Engineering graduate earnings, California State University-Sacramento ranks 21st. 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 $120,970 in the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, 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
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Cite this: “California State University-Sacramento Mechanical Engineering: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/california-state-university-sacramento/majors/mechanical-engineering (College Scorecard and BLS data).