# Illinois Institute of Technology: Mechanical Engineering (bachelor's)

Chicago, IL. IPEDS 145725, CIP 14.19. Page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/illinois-institute-of-technology/majors/mechanical-engineering

## Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings 1 year after graduating: $65,386
- Median earnings 4 years after graduating: $87,789 (U.S. median for this major: $91,190 across 316 colleges)
- Median federal loan debt: $27,000 (U.S. median $24,876)
- Rank in IL: 4 of 8 colleges by 4-year earnings
- Versus the IL median for this major (8 colleges, $87,586): +$203
- Versus the U.S. median: -$3,401

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
School-wide net price x 4.59 years (average time graduates took). Earnings gain = $87,789 minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $12,964 | $59,505 | 1.1 years |
| 30-48k | $13,415 | $61,575 | 1.2 years |
| 48-75k | $17,217 | $79,026 | 1.5 years |
| 75-110k | $21,858 | $100,328 | 1.9 years |
| 110k+ | $29,950 | $137,471 | 2.6 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Mechanical Engineering at IL colleges
| College | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University | $98,277 | $15,334 | $29,167 | 95% |
| Bradley University | $95,896 | $27,000 | $22,719 | 76% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $95,329 | $20,500 | $14,355 | 85% |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | $87,789 | $27,000 | $18,425 | 75% |
| University of Illinois Chicago | $87,384 | $21,500 | $10,974 | 62% |
| Northern Illinois University | $86,999 | $25,000 | $13,391 | 49% |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | $86,238 | $24,250 | $13,297 | 62% |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | $81,428 | $23,110 | $14,889 | 57% |

## Careers
- Mechanical engineer (SOC 17-2140): median wage $102,070 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, $102,680 IL, $104,110 U.S.; U.S. jobs 11.2% by 2035
- Cost Estimators (SOC 13-1051): median wage $83,640 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, $82,750 IL, $78,740 U.S.; U.S. jobs -3.1% by 2035
- Architectural and Engineering Managers (SOC 11-9041): median wage $163,430 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, $163,610 IL, $171,270 U.S.; U.S. jobs 5.5% by 2035

## Sources and years
- Earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars; debt: NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).