Cornell University Electrical Engineering: earnings, debt & careers

Electrical Engineering graduates of Cornell University earn a median $147,241 four years after graduating ($100,516 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $14,750. That is $48,544 above the U.S. median for Electrical Engineering graduates ($98,697 across 257 colleges), and ranks 1st of 17 New York colleges.

Show numbers for my family

Yearly household income. Saved on this device only. No account needed.

Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$147,241

U.S. median for this major: $98,697.

College Scorecard field of study; 78 graduates with earnings reported

Earnings, 1 year after
$100,516

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$14,750

About 10% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$28,690 /yr

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

Sticker price $88,140. College Scorecard.

Cornell University Electrical Engineering: pay against the field, and payback

Same major, other colleges

Cornell University graduates$147,241
New York median (17 colleges)$100,884 (+$46,357)
U.S. median (257 colleges)$98,697 (+$48,544)

Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.

Electrical Engineering nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →

Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income

Uses Cornell University's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$1,776$7,282under 1 year
$30–48k$4,070$16,687under 1 year
$48–75k$6,796$27,864under 1 year
$75–110k$14,311$58,675under 1 year
$110k+$49,992$204,9671.8 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (87% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Electrical Engineering graduates 4 years after graduating ($147,241) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $112,608 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.

Electrical Engineering at New York colleges

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

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1Cornell University$147,241$14,750$28,69095%
2Columbia University in the City of New York$143,332$12,000$21,59096%
3The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art$139,068—$13,26981%
4SUNY Maritime College$107,749$25,500$22,36764%
5New York University$107,348$24,000$37,05088%
6University of Rochester$105,183$18,750$29,27885%
7Rochester Institute of Technology$105,068$29,000$34,90670%
8Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$104,596$24,625$36,22884%
9Manhattan University$100,884$22,750$27,25664%
10New York Institute of Technology$99,480$26,000$22,44359%
11Binghamton University$99,397$25,654$21,62082%
12Stony Brook University$98,573$14,500$18,78476%
13Clarkson University$97,750$26,926$30,30575%
14CUNY City College$97,698$13,563$3,77657%
15University at Buffalo$95,209$23,500$20,99575%
16College of Staten Island CUNY$92,542—$5,57934%
17SUNY Polytechnic Institute$81,574$26,000$14,16455%

10 more New York colleges offer Electrical Engineering but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Electrical Engineering graduates

Electrical engineer

Ithaca area$105,840
New York$119,010
U.S.$120,630

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +9.9% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Architectural and Engineering Managers

Ithaca area$166,530
New York$175,710
U.S.$171,270

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

Computer Hardware Engineers

New York$163,470
U.S.$161,740

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +9.1% 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 Cornell University, by income

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

College Scorecard

About Cornell University

Related majors at Cornell University

Cornell University Electrical Engineering questions

How much do Cornell University Electrical Engineering graduates earn?

Electrical Engineering graduates of Cornell University earn a median $147,241 four years after graduating and $100,516 one year after. The U.S. median for Electrical Engineering graduates across 257 colleges is $98,697.

How much debt do Cornell University Electrical Engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Electrical Engineering graduates of Cornell University is $14,750, about 10% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.

Is Cornell University a good school for Electrical Engineering in New York?

On pay, Electrical Engineering graduates of Cornell University earn $147,241 four years out, $46,357 above the median for the same major across 17 New York colleges ($100,884) and $48,544 above the U.S. median ($98,697). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.

Where does Cornell University rank for Electrical Engineering in New York?

Of 17 New York colleges reporting Electrical Engineering graduate earnings, Cornell University ranks 1st, the highest.

What jobs do Electrical Engineering graduates get?

A common career is electrical engineer, with a median wage of $105,840 in the Ithaca, NY area and $120,630 nationally. Others include architectural and engineering managers and computer hardware engineers.

Is Cornell University the right fit for your family?

Get a free report comparing Cornell University with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.

Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting in

We never share your contact information.

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: “Cornell University Electrical Engineering: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/cornell-university/majors/electrical-engineering (College Scorecard and BLS data).