Best Industrial Engineering 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
73
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$513,269
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$33,152
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
SUNY Maritime College
Grad rate: 73.9% |
NY | +$1,068,744 | $102,900 | $28,880 | $24,989 | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Kansas State University
Grad rate: 69.5% |
KS | +$849,526 | $91,252 | $25,441 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
Florida State University
Grad rate: 83.9% |
FL | +$839,748 | $90,074 | $23,683 | $20,000 | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Grad rate: 85.3% |
CA | +$818,585 | $90,242 | $29,918 | $19,691 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Grad rate: 92.4% |
GA | +$759,369 | $86,996 | $27,797 | $21,750 | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 87.9% |
OH | +$740,548 | $86,368 | $29,320 | $21,875 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Grad rate: 93.2% |
MI | +$701,726 | $85,126 | $33,345 | $20,306 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
San Jose State University
Grad rate: 66.2% |
CA | +$686,780 | $81,478 | $25,695 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
Northwestern University
Grad rate: 96.2% |
IL | +$686,162 | $95,078 | $87,804 | $17,912 | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | +$683,478 | $84,108 | $32,134 | $22,330 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
University of Southern California
Grad rate: 92.2% |
CA | +$679,550 | $94,145 | $84,678 | $18,250 | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
University of Arkansas
Grad rate: 69.6% |
AR | +$669,961 | $82,519 | $26,161 | $26,500 | Full ROI → |
| 13 | Indiana Institute of Technology-College of Professional Studies | IN | +$665,395 | $82,393 | $24,563 | $32,750 | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Purdue University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 83.1% |
IN | +$637,385 | $79,694 | $22,567 | $19,427 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Grad rate: 84.6% |
NC | +$636,690 | $80,463 | $25,613 | $22,309 | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | +$635,275 | $81,037 | $30,282 | $18,027 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Iowa
Grad rate: 73.4% |
IA | +$633,879 | $80,592 | $26,883 | $22,540 | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Grad rate: 75.7% |
OK | +$615,339 | $80,297 | $28,833 | $26,125 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
University of Houston
Grad rate: 64.0% |
TX | +$613,771 | $79,151 | $25,056 | $21,500 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Western Michigan University
Grad rate: 56.5% |
MI | +$613,200 | $78,391 | $28,655 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Texas Tech University
Grad rate: 67.1% |
TX | +$600,182 | $79,461 | $27,472 | $29,000 | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Indiana Institute of Technology
Grad rate: 34.5% |
IN | +$589,687 | $82,393 | $43,490 | $32,750 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Grad rate: 86.3% |
VA | +$588,885 | $79,396 | $32,040 | $22,870 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
West Virginia University
Grad rate: 61.7% |
WV | +$587,218 | $77,798 | $23,678 | $25,207 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grad rate: 89.3% |
WI | +$577,371 | $78,014 | $27,770 | $23,577 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Grad rate: 67.4% |
AZ | +$576,975 | $77,766 | $28,047 | $19,375 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
University of Louisville
Grad rate: 61.4% |
KY | +$551,058 | $77,274 | $30,843 | $23,000 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
Lehigh University
Grad rate: 90.2% |
PA | +$549,824 | $86,603 | $77,515 | $23,834 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Mississippi State University
Grad rate: 63.0% |
MS | +$548,882 | $76,651 | $26,922 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Grad rate: 66.5% |
CA | +$543,842 | $75,414 | $22,672 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Oregon State University-Cascades Campus
Grad rate: 53.7% |
OR | +$539,636 | $76,191 | $27,461 | $25,437 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
PA | +$537,004 | $77,896 | $36,707 | $25,250 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Oregon State University
Grad rate: 70.3% |
OR | +$529,776 | $76,191 | $29,926 | $25,437 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Texas A&M University-College Station
Grad rate: 83.7% |
TX | +$528,114 | $76,153 | $32,085 | $19,708 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Clemson University
Grad rate: 86.6% |
SC | +$510,631 | $76,236 | $34,494 | $26,750 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
The University of Texas at Arlington
Grad rate: 55.1% |
TX | +$509,220 | $74,033 | $25,265 | $22,503 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Grad rate: 84.6% |
MN | +$508,325 | $74,758 | $29,013 | $22,802 | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
University at Buffalo
Grad rate: 73.5% |
NY | +$504,495 | $74,704 | $29,043 | $24,750 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
University of Missouri-Columbia
Grad rate: 75.7% |
MO | +$502,436 | $74,701 | $28,948 | $26,512 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Auburn University
Grad rate: 80.0% |
AL | +$499,024 | $75,401 | $34,402 | $23,250 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Grad rate: 83.5% |
NY | +$490,331 | $84,039 | $79,934 | $22,750 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Grad rate: 88.7% |
MA | +$480,025 | $82,909 | $75,678 | $26,254 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Kettering University
Grad rate: 70.0% |
MI | +$477,760 | $77,610 | $58,610 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
North Carolina A & T State University
Grad rate: 55.9% |
NC | +$467,430 | $71,300 | $19,180 | $31,000 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
University of Rhode Island
Grad rate: 71.4% |
RI | +$466,924 | $71,863 | $32,584 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
Iowa State University
Grad rate: 75.0% |
IA | +$460,021 | $71,266 | $23,309 | $23,750 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Binghamton University
Grad rate: 83.2% |
NY | +$450,727 | $71,919 | $29,657 | $21,500 | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Grad rate: 73.4% |
NJ | +$442,378 | $72,252 | $32,228 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Grad rate: 61.3% |
WI | +$442,277 | $69,993 | $20,049 | $27,694 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
Texas State University
Grad rate: 56.0% |
TX | +$439,575 | $71,189 | $26,348 | $28,750 | 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 Industrial Engineering Degrees by State
Browse Industrial Engineering programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.