Engineering: every university, ranked by pay
Mechanical Engineering at NC State University
Bachelor's degree · Raleigh, North Carolina · 540 graduates in two years
What do NC State mechanical 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 NC State?
Admission is to the university, not the program, at most US schools.
How much does NC State cost?
Sticker price for a year, and what students actually paid after grants.
The cost by family income, debt and who finishes are on NC State's page.
What careers does Mechanical 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
Mechanical Engineering at other universities
The same program elsewhere, North Carolina first, then the best paid.
| University | Pay, five years out | Debt | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke UniversityNorth Carolina | $133,628 | $13,250 | 6% |
| University of North Carolina at CharlotteNorth Carolina | $94,880 | $20,648 | 80% |
| North Carolina A&T State UniversityNorth Carolina | $89,474 | $25,000 | 50% |
| University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania | $139,684 | Hidden | 5% |
| Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts | $130,762 | $15,000 | 5% |
| San José State UniversityCalifornia | $126,078 | $14,500 | 85% |
| Carnegie Mellon UniversityPennsylvania | $122,102 | $19,500 | 12% |
| Cornell UniversityNew York | $121,528 | $14,163 | 9% |
| University of California, BerkeleyCalifornia | $121,029 | $11,175 | 11% |
| Stanford UniversityCalifornia | $120,449 | Hidden | 4% |
| Columbia UniversityNew York | $119,306 | $10,275 | 4% |
| University of California, Los AngelesCalifornia | $116,719 | $13,315 | 9% |
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 NC State University. Figures describe past students.