Engineering: every university, ranked by pay
Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Bachelor's degree · Madison, Wisconsin · 472 graduates in two years
What do Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?
Admission is to the university, not the program, at most US schools.
How much does Wisconsin cost?
Sticker price for a year, and what students actually paid after grants.
The cost by family income, debt and who finishes are on Wisconsin'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, Wisconsin first, then the best paid.
| University | Pay, five years out | Debt | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette UniversityWisconsin | $99,842 | $24,530 | 81% |
| University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania | $139,684 | Hidden | 5% |
| Duke UniversityNorth Carolina | $133,628 | $13,250 | 6% |
| 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% |
| California Polytechnic State University, San Luis ObispoCalifornia | $116,548 | $17,000 | 31% |
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 University of Wisconsin-Madison. Figures describe past students.