Engineering at Purdue University-Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN · Bachelor's Degree · about 34 graduates a year

$74,668
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$87,331
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$93,989
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#16 of 19
Rank by pay
#11 of 19
Rank, wage-adjusted
$19,787
Median federal debt

Purdue University-Main Campus graduates in engineering earn 7% less than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 23% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Purdue University-Main Campus Compares for Engineering

All 19 colleges reporting 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
1Stanford University Stanford, CA$115,206$104,830#3$49,741
2Northeastern University Boston, MA$112,019$98,644#6$75,253
3Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA$105,080$121,638#1—
4Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA$104,007$91,589#12$77,421
5California State University-Chico Chico, CA$103,272$93,971#10$74,204
6Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA$102,134$103,871#4$73,153
7Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ$99,691$87,497#13—
8Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH$97,144$103,667#5$78,734
9Oregon State University Corvallis, OR$94,278$94,833#8$71,549
10Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR$94,278$94,833#9$71,549
…
13Colorado State University Pueblo Pueblo, CO$90,627$84,754#14$76,059
14Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN$89,261$95,761#7$69,685
15University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA$88,159$80,219#18$56,522
16Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN$87,331$93,690#11$74,668
17Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls, OR$81,872$82,354#16—
18Michigan State University East Lansing, MI$79,609$83,938#15$67,007
19Alfred University Alfred, NY$71,845$68,382#19—

Other Engineering Credentials at Purdue University-Main Campus

Credential1 yr after4 yrs afterMedian debt
Master's Degree$120,243$140,404—

Other Majors at Purdue University-Main Campus by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$146,685$94,786#35 of 349
Computer Engineering$121,462$89,965#36 of 189
Materials Engineering$107,557$78,265#1 of 34
Industrial Engineering$107,031$81,379#17 of 94
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$105,396$84,300#57 of 258
Chemical Engineering$104,514$81,105#28 of 158
Statistics$104,047$72,579#13 of 50
Mechanical Engineering$102,572$80,374#26 of 318
Construction Engineering$101,108$76,966#7 of 13
Computer and Information Sciences$99,896$72,132#120 of 459
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians$97,594$75,913#1 of 9
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$97,332$71,989#24 of 59
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$93,976$70,903#43 of 126
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$93,434$72,749#63 of 118
Civil Engineering$90,873$74,369#49 of 233
Accounting and Related Services$90,119$63,021#115 of 796
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians$88,474$68,582#11 of 51
Engineering-Related Fields$87,914$72,252#21 of 33
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians$86,891$67,093#15 of 61
Agricultural Engineering$86,306$72,168#11 of 26
Air Transportation$86,161$45,190#22 of 52
Finance and Financial Management Services$85,924$59,938#134 of 452
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians$85,224$74,981#21 of 46
Marketing$84,725$56,668#51 of 516
Economics$83,195$59,187#154 of 368
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences$82,581$47,570#13 of 61
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations$82,441$62,580#7 of 27
Business Administration, Management and Operations$81,040$57,106#128 of 1176
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$80,403$71,759#701 of 966
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering$78,770$71,861#31 of 46

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Purdue University-Main Campus engineering graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $74,668 one year after graduating and $87,331 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Purdue University-Main Campus rank for engineering?

Among 19 colleges reporting earnings for engineering graduates, Purdue University-Main Campus ranks #16 by median pay four years after graduation, and #11 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is engineering at Purdue University-Main Campus worth it?

Its graduates earn 7% less than the national median for engineering ($93,989), and the median federal debt at graduation is $19,787.

← All data for Purdue University-Main Campus · 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.