Mechanical Engineering Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Mechanical Engineering maps to BLS occupations averaging about $99,885, with roughly 62,830 workers nationwide in those roles. About 33,346 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median program completion runs near 61%.
Key Statistics
Mechanical Engineering: what the data shows
Common questions about mechanical engineering degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a mechanical engineering degree?
A Mechanical Engineering program is classified under NCES CIP 14.1901 in the Mechanical Engineering field family (14.19).
A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of physical systems used in manufacturing and end-product systems used for specific uses, including machine tools, jigs and other manufacturing equipment; stationary power units and appliances; engines; self-propelled vehicles; housings and containers; hydraulic and electric systems for controlling movement; and the integration of computers and remote control with operating systems.
IPEDS counted 33,346 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
How long does it take to get a mechanical engineering degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 14.1901 in our file:
- 305 Associate (0.7% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 33,346 Bachelor's (81.4% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 7,288 Master's (17.8% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 12 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in mechanical engineering?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Mathematics, Critical Thinking, Science, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Mechanical Engineers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 14.1901, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a mechanical engineering degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Mechanical Engineering to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers | 286,760 | $102,320 |
| HVAC Technicians | 396,870 | $59,810 |
| Plumbers | 33,580 | $48,710 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a mechanical engineering degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Mechanical Engineering bachelor's program family: median debt $31,136, median earnings $92,135 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.44.
About 3.7% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $11,790 and median net price is $16,866.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Mechanical Engineering and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$11,790 Median In-State Public
$36,930 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Mechanical Engineering majors are, on average, $11,790 for in-state public colleges, and $36,930 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Mechanical Engineering programs.
Institutions awarding the most Mechanical Engineering degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University-Main Campus | IN | 819 |
| 2 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | GA | 782 |
| 3 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 668 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 508 |
| 5 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | 466 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | PA | 450 |
| 7 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | 447 |
| 8 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | VA | 447 |
| 9 | University of Central Florida | FL | 428 |
| 10 | University of Florida | FL | 418 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
33,346 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Mechanical Engineering from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Mechanical Engineering.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liberty University | VA | 50,059 |
| 2 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | 42,100 |
| 3 | Michigan State University | MI | 40,243 |
| 4 | Purdue University-Main Campus | IN | 39,637 |
| 5 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | 35,665 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Mechanical Engineering programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Allan Hancock College | CA | $1,156 |
| 3 | Santa Ana College | CA | $1,180 |
| 4 | Chaffey College | CA | $1,184 |
| 5 | Shasta College | CA | $1,197 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Mechanical Engineering programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saddleback College | CA | $2,976 |
| 2 | Mt San Antonio College | CA | $3,107 |
| 3 | Gods Bible School and College | OH | $3,138 |
| 4 | Shasta College | CA | $3,743 |
| 5 | CUNY Queens College | NY | $3,830 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Mechanical Engineering programs.
Graduation Rates
61.43% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
60.79% Average Graduation Rate
498 Institutions Reporting
48.07% - 74.28% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Mechanical Engineering programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Mechanical Engineering is in CA (3,577 completions). That state represents about 10.7% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is ND (1.75% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 3,577 | 10.7% | 0.80% |
| TX | 2,665 | 8.0% | 0.91% |
| NY | 1,851 | 5.5% | 0.67% |
| PA | 1,620 | 4.9% | 0.95% |
| FL | 1,516 | 4.5% | 0.66% |
| OH | 1,484 | 4.5% | 1.07% |
| MI | 1,477 | 4.4% | 1.29% |
| MA | 1,332 | 4.0% | 1.04% |
| IN | 1,086 | 3.3% | 1.05% |
| GA | 1,003 | 3.0% | 0.88% |
| CO | 946 | 2.8% | 1.32% |
| IL | 866 | 2.6% | 0.62% |
| VA | 788 | 2.4% | 0.64% |
| WI | 757 | 2.3% | 0.99% |
| AL | 708 | 2.1% | 1.05% |
| NJ | 683 | 2.0% | 0.79% |
| NC | 643 | 1.9% | 0.52% |
| UT | 643 | 1.9% | 0.59% |
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 14.1901 in the survey year used in our extract (40,951 total across levels below).
- 305 Associate (0.7% of IPEDS total)
- 33,346 Bachelor's (81.4% of IPEDS total)
- 7,288 Master's (17.8% of IPEDS total)
- 12 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $99,885. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Mechanical Engineering graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers | $134,694 | 286,760 |
| HVAC Technicians | $76,478 | 396,870 |
| Plumbers | $79,263 | 33,580 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Mechanical Engineering CIP family (170 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Mechanical Engineering graduate.
- $31,136 median federal loan debt among completers
- $92,135 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.44 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 3.7% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$101,655 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Mechanical Engineering majors is $101,655.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Mechanical Engineering majors.
Occupations by Share
62,830 2023 Workforce
The number of Mechanical Engineering graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Mechanical Engineering by share of the total number of graduates.
Return on Investment & Value
Debt and earnings fields below come from College Scorecard where present in our degree extract.
Financial value (extract)
$13,532 Median Student Debt
$40,568 Median Annual Earnings (10 years after enrollment)
33.36% Debt-to-Earnings Ratio
3.3 years Estimated Payback Period (assuming 10% of income)
501.30% Return on Investment (10-year earnings vs 4-year cost)
Ten-year earnings in this extract exceed four years of median net price.
$67,466 Estimated Total Cost (4 years at median net price)
Financial value comparison for Mechanical Engineering degree.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Age distribution for Mechanical Engineering degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
33,346 Total Degrees Awarded
27,575 Male (82.69%)
5,771 Female (17.31%)
Gender distribution of Mechanical Engineering degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
19,617 White (58.83%)
5,086 Hispanic or Latino (15.25%)
3,365 Asian (10.09%)
1,443 Two or More Races (4.33%)
1,255 Black or African American (3.76%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Mechanical Engineering degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Mechanical Engineering are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Mechanical Engineering.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Mechanical Engineering field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Mechanical Engineering majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Mechanical Engineering majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Mechanical Engineering majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of physical systems used in manufacturing and end-product systems used for specific uses, including machine tools, jigs and other manufacturing equipment; stationary power units and appliances; engines; self-propelled vehicles; housings and containers; hydraulic and electric systems for controlling movement; and the integration of computers and remote control with operating systems.
In 2023, 33,346 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Mechanical Engineering.
CIP Code
14.1901 - Mechanical Engineering
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $31,136 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $92,135, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.44. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Mechanical Engineering graduate.
Men earned 17.6% of 42,939 Mechanical Engineering completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $99,885. The largest mapped role by headcount is Mechanical Engineers (286,760 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $11,790 in-state at public colleges and $36,930 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.