Engineering: every university, ranked by pay
Industrial Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Bachelor's degree · San Luis Obispo, California · 145 graduates in two years
What do Cal Poly industrial engineering graduates earn?
Median yearly pay of graduates who had federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Hidden where too few graduates to publish.
What does it take to get into Cal Poly?
Admission is to the university, not the program, at most US schools.
How much does Cal Poly cost?
Sticker price for a year, and what students actually paid after grants.
The cost by family income, debt and who finishes are on Cal Poly's page.
What careers does Industrial Engineering lead to?
Careers people reach through this field, each with its pay, training and what the work is like.
- Civil EngineerDesign the roads, bridges, water systems and buildings everyone uses without thinking about them.$101kTypical pay4 to 8 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemand
- Mechanical EngineerDesign anything that moves, heats, cools or carries a load. The broadest engineering degree there is.$104kTypical pay4 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
- Electrical EngineerDesign the circuits, chips, motors and power systems that everything else quietly depends on.$121kTypical pay4 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
- Aerospace EngineerDesign the things that fly. Four years of hard math, then aircraft, rockets, satellites or missiles.$135kTypical pay4 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
- Agricultural EngineerEngineering for food, water and land. Machines, irrigation, grain storage and the systems that feed the country.$99kTypical pay4 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
- Biomedical EngineerDesign the machines and implants that keep people alive, then prove they are safe.$109kTypical pay4 to 6 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
Industrial Engineering at other universities
The same program elsewhere, California first, then the best paid.
| University | Pay, five years out | Debt | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern CaliforniaCalifornia | $147,667 | $22,500 | 10% |
| Northwestern UniversityIllinois | $151,709 | $13,992 | 8% |
| University of MichiganMichigan | $132,040 | $20,500 | 16% |
| Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia | $131,228 | $20,071 | 14% |
| University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsin | $124,488 | $19,750 | 45% |
| Northeastern UniversityMassachusetts | $120,854 | $23,750 | 5% |
| Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew Jersey | $118,407 | $17,500 | 58% |
| Virginia TechVirginia | $114,212 | $20,500 | 55% |
| Arizona State UniversityArizona | $113,768 | $21,500 | 90% |
| Purdue UniversityIndiana | $112,451 | $19,000 | 50% |
| The Ohio State UniversityOhio | $111,600 | $19,250 | 61% |
| Auburn UniversityAlabama | $111,504 | $19,000 | 46% |
Where these numbers come from
College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Pay is the median for graduates who received federal aid, measured one and five years after finishing; debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.
Careerhelp is not affiliated with California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Figures describe past students.