Free tool · federal data

What does this major pay at different colleges?

Pick a major, a degree level and a state. You get what graduates of each college's program earned four years after graduating and what they borrowed in federal loans, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, with the national median for the same program as the yardstick.

Side by side

Is it worth it? The federal figures, side by side

Federal data cannot decide that for you, but it puts what graduates earned beside what they borrowed. Programs appear in the order you added them, with no ranking.

Median earnings four years after graduating, federal debt, monthly payment and peer comparisons for California State University-Sacramento Civil Engineering.
MeasureCalifornia State University-SacramentoCivil Engineering, bachelor's · CARemove
Median earnings, 4 years after graduating$93,973 (197 graduates)
Federal debt borrowed at this college (median)$18,000
Monthly payment, 10-year plan$191
Payment as a share of median monthly earningsbefore taxroughly 2%
National median, same program and degree$86,517
Typical program nearbythe state, or its Census division when the state has fewer than 3 programs$95,860 (California, 18 programs)
Total federal debt counting every college attendeda second federal measure; it includes loans from colleges attended before this one$19,124

Earnings: College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Debt: graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20. The monthly payment is a standard 10-year plan on the median debt borrowed at that college. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education.College cost is not shown here; each college's profile has its net price.

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Civil Engineering, bachelor's programs nationwide

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Civil Engineering earn a median $86,517 four years after graduating. Among 173 programs with federal earnings data, University of California, Berkeley (CA) graduates had the highest median, $108,548 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

Programs with data
173
Highest median
$108,548
National median
$86,517
The link opens this exact comparison.
Civil Engineering, bachelor's programs nationwide: median earnings four years after graduating and median federal debt, in order of earnings.
CollegeStateMedian earnings, 4 yrs aftervs national medianDebt borrowed at this college (median)Add to the side-by-side comparison
University of California, BerkeleyCA$108,548+25%$14,342Compare
University of Southern CaliforniaCA$106,308+23%$8,125
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCA$101,072+17%$20,424Compare
California State Polytechnic University-PomonaCA$97,790+13%$16,500Compare
California State University-NorthridgeCA$97,123+12%$19,834Compare
University of California, Los AngelesCA$97,092+12%$17,529Compare
University of California-IrvineCA$96,354+11%$17,816Compare
University of California-DavisCA$95,939+11%$16,000Compare
Manhattan CollegeNY$95,877+11%$27,000Compare
San Diego State UniversityCA$95,865+11%$19,832Compare
California State University-FullertonCA$95,854+11%$13,274Compare
The University of Texas at AustinTX$95,271+10%$19,875Compare
University of Colorado BoulderCO$94,960+10%$19,318Compare
New York UniversityNY$94,867+10%$21,970Compare
California State University-Los AngelesCA$94,760+10%$16,500Compare
Colorado School of MinesCO$94,228+9%$23,402Compare
The College of New JerseyNJ$93,977+9%$26,500Compare
California State University-SacramentoCA$93,973+9%$18,000In comparison
George Mason UniversityVA$93,856+8%$20,787Compare
Worcester Polytechnic InstituteMA$93,417+8%$27,000Compare
Wentworth Institute of TechnologyMA$93,402+8%$26,872Compare
University of Maryland, College ParkMD$93,280+8%$20,499Compare
Stony Brook UniversityNY$92,908+7%$16,500Compare
Stevens Institute of TechnologyNJ$92,609+7%$27,000Compare
California State University-ChicoCA$92,472+7%$21,125Compare

The 25 highest of 173 programs. Ordered by median earnings four years after graduating: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality.

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Same major, other degree levels: Master's

What these numbers are

Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed, and a multi-state system whose figure pools campuses in several states is left out of state lists. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Federal program group: Civil Engineering. Earnings reflect who enrolls and where graduates work as well as the program itself.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study data, 10 June 2026. Download every program (CSV).