Mechanical Engineering at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA · Bachelor's Degree · about 278 graduates a year

$83,011
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$106,750
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$92,135
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#15 of 318
Rank by pay
#98 of 318
Rank, wage-adjusted
$20,500
Median federal debt

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo graduates in mechanical engineering earn 16% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 19% of one year’s pay at that point.

How California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Compares for Mechanical Engineering

All 318 colleges reporting mechanical engineering earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA$131,967$116,211#3$83,957
2California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo, CA$126,395$115,011#5$92,315
3Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA$122,111$111,113#10$81,865
4Duke University Durham, NC$120,991$129,841#1$89,938
5University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA$119,371$108,620#16$88,497
6Stanford University Stanford, CA$117,072$106,528#28—
7Princeton University Princeton, NJ$115,927$101,747#53$85,328
8University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA$114,492$116,439#2$66,876
9Cornell University Ithaca, NY$112,212$106,803#27$85,440
10Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY$111,491$106,116#32$72,036
…
12Rice University Houston, TX$108,970$110,791#11$82,899
13University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA$108,875$99,069#74$79,016
14SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY$106,932$101,777#52$77,895
15California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA$106,750$97,136#98$83,011
16University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI$105,888$111,647#9$82,823
17Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA$105,623$107,420#22$76,523
18California Baptist University Riverside, CA$105,046$95,585#107$72,224

Other Mechanical Engineering Credentials at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Credential1 yr after4 yrs afterMedian debt
Master's Degree$92,510$127,908$20,500

Other Majors at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$154,784$111,141#29 of 349
Computer Engineering$148,950$111,560#14 of 189
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$125,240$90,576#11 of 258
Construction Management$118,331$92,785#2 of 57
Industrial Engineering$112,797$87,226#6 of 94
Business Administration, Management and Operations$110,902$71,876#15 of 1176
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$109,232$81,186#12 of 118
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$107,498$85,509#8 of 59
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering$102,702$82,197#2 of 46
Statistics$101,353—#14 of 50
Civil Engineering$101,072$80,673#8 of 233
Materials Engineering$100,599$74,496#3 of 34
Economics$98,927$67,501#71 of 368
Philosophy$98,592—#2 of 86
Physics$96,805—#10 of 107
Architectural Engineering$92,767$80,481#4 of 16
Agricultural Engineering$92,603$72,713#4 of 26
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians$89,195$78,938#9 of 51
Agricultural Business and Management$88,396$52,778#2 of 77
Agriculture$84,412$64,786#1 of 43
Mathematics$83,187$53,136#66 of 309
Plant Sciences$82,487$63,129#1 of 44
Political Science and Government$81,843$37,003#36 of 565
Agricultural Public Services$80,965$54,583#1 of 10
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning$80,820$47,832#2 of 17
Graphic Communications$79,432$49,029#1 of 59
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$78,097$57,538#16 of 110
Agricultural Mechanization$78,080$73,053#3 of 10
Forestry$77,419$55,092#3 of 31
Architecture$76,613$60,634#8 of 78

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo mechanical engineering graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $83,011 one year after graduating and $106,750 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo rank for mechanical engineering?

Among 318 colleges reporting earnings for mechanical engineering graduates, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks #15 by median pay four years after graduation, and #98 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is mechanical engineering at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo worth it?

Its graduates earn 16% more than the national median for mechanical engineering ($92,135), and the median federal debt at graduation is $20,500.

← All data for California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.