San Diego State University Mechanical Engineering: Salary, Debt & Careers

Earnings, 4 years after graduating

$97,825

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

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after

$69,754

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation

$19,994

About 20% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $24,876.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays

$15,364 /yr

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

Sticker price $27,780. 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

San Diego area$121,750

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

San Diego area$87,170

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

San Diego area$202,810

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 San Diego State University, by income

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

College Scorecard

About San Diego State University

Acceptance rate: 36% · admissions
Graduation rate: 76% within 6 years
Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $64,909
Full cost breakdown · all 79 majors · overview

Related majors at San Diego State University

Electrical Engineering$106,416
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering$100,139
Civil Engineering$95,865
Environmental Engineering$88,417

San Diego State University Mechanical Engineering questions

How much do San Diego State University Mechanical Engineering graduates earn?

Mechanical Engineering graduates of San Diego State University earn a median $97,825 four years after graduating and $69,754 one year after. The U.S. median for Mechanical Engineering graduates across 316 colleges is $91,190.

How much debt do San Diego State University Mechanical Engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Mechanical Engineering graduates of San Diego State University is $19,994, about 20% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $24,876.

Where does San Diego State University rank for Mechanical Engineering in California?

Of 27 California colleges reporting Mechanical Engineering graduate earnings, San Diego State University ranks 17th. 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 $121,750 in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, 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: “San Diego State University Mechanical Engineering: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/san-diego-state-university/majors/mechanical-engineering (College Scorecard and BLS data).

San Diego State University Mechanical Engineering: earnings, debt & careers