Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University

Evanston, IL · Bachelor's Degree · about 72 graduates a year

$75,253
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$98,277
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$92,135
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#49 of 318
Rank by pay
#103 of 318
Rank, wage-adjusted
$13,942
Median federal debt

Northwestern University graduates in mechanical engineering earn 7% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 14% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Northwestern University 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
…
46California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA$99,216$90,280#193$71,359
47California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA$99,148$90,218#194$75,040
48University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA$99,111$90,185#196$67,633
49Northwestern University Evanston, IL$98,277$96,556#103$75,253
50New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM$98,213$113,715#7$57,424
51University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK$98,156$94,001#131$71,501
52Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX$98,113$99,752#67$73,268

Other Mechanical Engineering Credentials at Northwestern University

Credential1 yr after4 yrs afterMedian debt
Master's Degree$83,978——

Other Majors at Northwestern University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Information Science/Studies$163,740$102,998#1 of 148
Computer Science$155,106$99,981#28 of 349
Applied Mathematics$148,740$94,684#4 of 45
Industrial Engineering$138,720$89,811#1 of 94
Economics$126,006$84,932#21 of 368
Statistics$122,682$77,917#7 of 50
Chemical Engineering$111,040$80,709#12 of 158
Human Resources Management and Services$108,498$82,255#2 of 187
Mathematics$107,072$79,530#19 of 309
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$102,994$68,592#19 of 118
Manufacturing Engineering$97,819—#1 of 15
Communication and Media Studies$93,541$52,210#2 of 660
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$93,180—#7 of 476
Community Organization and Advocacy$84,712$61,009#1 of 24
Journalism$80,258$50,426#3 of 187
History$78,966$50,161#13 of 459
Public Policy Analysis$78,752$48,558#9 of 34
Sociology$75,267$38,402#8 of 462
International Relations and National Security Studies$74,477$58,326#30 of 118
Psychology$73,646$44,088#14 of 1027
Political Science and Government$73,231$54,737#89 of 565
Biology$71,181—#82 of 841
Psychology$62,905$36,890#3 of 9
English Language and Literature$62,147$31,748#39 of 576
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies$59,372$39,012#15 of 103
Neurobiology and Neurosciences$54,279$35,334#56 of 67
Music$53,875$34,823#37 of 268
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication$51,471$24,611#65 of 158
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft$49,316$19,245#17 of 255
Public Health—$39,956—

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Northwestern University mechanical engineering graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $75,253 one year after graduating and $98,277 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Northwestern University rank for mechanical engineering?

Among 318 colleges reporting earnings for mechanical engineering graduates, Northwestern University ranks #49 by median pay four years after graduation, and #103 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is mechanical engineering at Northwestern University worth it?

Its graduates earn 7% more than the national median for mechanical engineering ($92,135), and the median federal debt at graduation is $13,942.

← All data for Northwestern University · 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.