Best Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
44
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$68,832
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$17,579
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Lamar Institute of Technology
Grad rate: 27.4% |
TX | +$435,742 | $65,201 | $14,139 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Red Rocks Community College
Grad rate: 38.0% |
CO | +$283,764 | $57,993 | $18,048 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
Lee College
Grad rate: 27.5% |
TX | +$280,560 | $57,233 | $12,050 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
Grad rate: 41.9% |
WA | +$251,458 | $56,108 | $15,351 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Grad rate: 46.1% |
NY | +$247,230 | $56,990 | $26,285 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Utah Valley University
Grad rate: 40.0% |
UT | +$240,076 | $55,521 | $15,172 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Dunwoody College of Technology
Grad rate: 54.6% |
MN | +$211,548 | $57,453 | $34,834 | $20,625 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Anoka Technical College
Grad rate: 50.5% |
MN | +$166,575 | $52,987 | $16,662 | $14,697 | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
Salt Lake Community College
Grad rate: 31.8% |
UT | +$157,912 | $51,184 | $12,884 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
Hennepin Technical College
Grad rate: 38.1% |
MN | +$142,242 | $52,062 | $15,830 | $20,250 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Mott Community College
Grad rate: 15.4% |
MI | +$135,870 | $50,043 | $12,495 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
San Jacinto Community College
Grad rate: 33.3% |
TX | +$132,960 | $50,147 | $14,990 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Waukesha County Technical College
Grad rate: 46.8% |
WI | +$130,023 | $50,908 | $14,281 | $14,500 | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
CUNY New York City College of Technology
Grad rate: 20.4% |
NY | +$121,092 | $49,395 | $13,404 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga
Grad rate: 53.9% |
TN | +$111,388 | $50,483 | $29,136 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
Eastern Florida State College
Grad rate: 51.2% |
FL | +$110,412 | $48,638 | $11,174 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
Amarillo College
Grad rate: 28.9% |
TX | +$108,818 | $48,582 | $11,411 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Front Range Community College
Grad rate: 28.6% |
CO | +$105,266 | $49,072 | $18,087 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
Fox Valley Technical College
Grad rate: 55.2% |
WI | +$103,806 | $48,755 | $15,647 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Alexandria Technical & Community College
Grad rate: 60.9% |
MN | +$94,656 | $48,629 | $18,962 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Grad rate: 48.2% |
WI | +$83,334 | $47,727 | $15,603 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Central New Mexico Community College
Grad rate: 28.2% |
NM | +$68,628 | $46,522 | $10,906 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Austin Community College District
Grad rate: 16.1% |
TX | +$66,868 | $47,404 | $11,156 | $14,000 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Northcentral Technical College
Grad rate: 47.5% |
WI | +$64,226 | $47,341 | $15,897 | $8,000 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Northland Community and Technical College
Grad rate: 43.6% |
MN | +$39,814 | $45,780 | $17,893 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
Delgado Community College
Grad rate: 19.3% |
LA | +$35,306 | $45,679 | $19,137 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
St Cloud Technical and Community College
Grad rate: 37.6% |
MN | +$32,847 | $45,956 | $15,374 | $11,500 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute
Grad rate: 47.4% |
PA | +$29,560 | $43,478 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
ITI Technical College
Grad rate: 56.8% |
LA | +$19,265 | $46,756 | $24,236 | $20,283 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Southeast Community College Area
Grad rate: 28.6% |
NE | +$13,072 | $44,995 | $12,319 | $16,437 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Central Community College
Grad rate: 43.6% |
NE | +$5,172 | $43,609 | $13,504 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
YTI Career Institute-York
Grad rate: 43.4% |
PA | +$1,554 | $43,906 | $18,283 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Portland Community College
Grad rate: 17.8% |
OR | -$382 | $43,708 | $17,271 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Baker College
Grad rate: 22.9% |
MI | -$8,852 | $43,903 | $23,456 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Sullivan University
Grad rate: 28.8% |
KY | -$10,300 | $44,595 | $31,100 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
State Technical College of Missouri
Grad rate: 78.0% |
MO | -$10,772 | $43,966 | $17,385 | $11,350 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Ivy Tech Community College
Grad rate: 33.3% |
IN | -$33,125 | $42,553 | $13,891 | $12,151 | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
Grad rate: 57.8% |
PA | -$54,452 | $41,794 | $17,066 | $12,000 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Texas State Technical College
Grad rate: 37.0% |
TX | -$82,247 | $40,800 | $20,011 | $13,500 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Houston Community College
Grad rate: 17.0% |
TX | -$86,044 | $39,717 | $12,065 | $12,040 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Pittsburgh Technical College
Grad rate: 53.4% |
PA | -$97,938 | $41,580 | $33,969 | $16,000 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Grad rate: 53.5% |
NY | -$108,304 | $38,983 | $23,982 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Ozarks Technical Community College
Grad rate: 31.2% |
MO | -$222,940 | $32,107 | $12,540 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
Grad rate: 39.5% |
AR | -$287,044 | $29,453 | $18,052 | N/A | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians Degrees by State
Browse Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.