U.S. median for this major: $88,063.
College Scorecard field of study; 27 graduates with earnings reported. A small group, so treat this figure with caution
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 31% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $27,000.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $39,694. College Scorecard.
Pennsylvania State University Engineering: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
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.
Engineering nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses Pennsylvania State University's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $19,845 | $83,349 | 1.6 years |
| $30–48k | $20,049 | $84,206 | 1.6 years |
| $48–75k | $25,667 | $107,801 | 2.1 years |
| $75–110k | $31,834 | $133,703 | 2.6 years |
| $110k+ | $37,831 | $158,890 | 3.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (70% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Engineering graduates 4 years after graduating ($88,063) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in PA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $52,266 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.
Engineering at Pennsylvania colleges
Every Pennsylvania college we cover that reports Engineering graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | $110,208 | — | $31,944 | 94% |
| 2 | Lafayette College | $104,222 | — | $34,433 | 88% |
| 3 | Elizabethtown College | $88,104 | $27,000 | $26,598 | 76% |
| 4 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine | $88,063 | $27,000 | $22,585 | 26% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBoisbachelor's & associate | $88,063 | $27,000 | $17,428 | 34% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton | $88,063 | $27,000 | $17,597 | 26% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania State University | $88,063 | $27,000 | $32,875 | 86% |
| 8 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington | $88,063 | $27,000 | $18,071 | 20% |
| 9 | Robert Morris University | $86,444 | $26,000 | $23,003 | 66% |
| 10 | Wilkes University | $86,308 | $26,000 | $27,743 | 63% |
| 11 | Messiah University | $84,927 | $25,798 | $26,502 | 75% |
| 12 | Saint Vincent College | $84,180 | $27,000 | $23,510 | 69% |
| 13 | Swarthmore College | $78,519 | — | $23,149 | 92% |
| 14 | Geneva College | $75,535 | $27,000 | $25,890 | 61% |
10 more Pennsylvania colleges offer Engineering but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Engineering graduates
Architectural and Engineering Managers
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 Pennsylvania State University, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About Pennsylvania State University
- Acceptance rate: 61% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 86% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $63,435
- Full cost breakdown · all 141 majors · overview
Related majors at Pennsylvania State University
- Electrical Engineering$93,277
- Civil Engineering$81,403
- Mechanical Engineering$87,997
- Industrial Engineering$104,758
- Environmental Engineering$80,855
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering$99,159
Pennsylvania State University Engineering questions
How much do Pennsylvania State University Engineering graduates earn?
Engineering graduates of Pennsylvania State University earn a median $88,063 four years after graduating and $68,331 one year after. The U.S. median for Engineering graduates across 57 colleges is $88,063.
How much debt do Pennsylvania State University Engineering graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Engineering graduates of Pennsylvania State University is $27,000, about 31% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $27,000.
Is Pennsylvania State University a good school for Engineering in Pennsylvania?
On pay, Engineering graduates of Pennsylvania State University earn $88,063 four years out, $0 above the median for the same major across 14 Pennsylvania colleges ($88,063) and $0 above the U.S. median ($88,063). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does Pennsylvania State University rank for Engineering in Pennsylvania?
Of 14 Pennsylvania colleges reporting Engineering graduate earnings, Pennsylvania State University ranks 7th; among the 13 that mostly award bachelor's degrees it ranks 6th. The highest is Carnegie Mellon University at $110,208.
What jobs do Engineering graduates get?
A common career is architectural and engineering managers, with a median wage of $150,520 in the State College, PA area and $171,270 nationally.
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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: “Pennsylvania State University Engineering: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus/majors/engineering (College Scorecard and BLS data).