How much debt do Cal State LA civil engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,767, which ranks 10th lowest of 19 civil engineering bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $199 a month over 10 years.

Is a civil engineering degree from Cal State LA worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 26% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Cal State LA Civil Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Cal State LA civil engineering graduates stay in California?

Most do. 96% (82 of 85) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Civil Engineering
Public university
Los Angeles, CA
About 63 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal State LA civil engineering graduates earn more than graduates of most civil engineering programs nationally, $73,178 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,767 in federal loans, less than at 87% of civil engineering programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying civil engineering degrees in California.

First-year earnings$73,17877th percentile of 207 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$99,64436% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,76710th lowest of 19 California programs

Debt-to-earnings26%California median 26%, national 35%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all civil engineering bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Cal State LA	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$73,178	$73,541	$69,582
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$99,644	$99,644	$85,897
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,767	$18,820	$24,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	26%	26%	35%
Programs compared		20	207

Five years out, Cal State LA graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California civil engineering program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Cal State LAOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 36% between the first and fifth year.

Cal State LA grads, year 1$73,178

Cal State LA grads, year 5$99,644

All California civil engineering grads, year 5$99,644

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $199 a month, or 3.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (56 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

96% of graduates (82 of 85) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $73,178 salary here buys what about $64,437 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to civil engineering, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Civil Engineers

$122,500

Median pay in California. 55,180 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 22,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $77,980Top 10%: $175,940

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$210,280

Median pay in California. 29,630 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 14,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $137,900Top 10%: $296,130

Environmental Engineers

$130,410

Median pay in California. 4,550 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $79,790Top 10%: $170,790

Petroleum Engineers

$143,590

Median pay in California. 1,060 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $61,780Top 10%: $207,370

About Cal State LA

In-state tuition and fees	$7,160 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,760 / year
Average net price after aid	$3,967 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	53%
Undergraduate students	19,562

Civil Engineering ranks 2nd of 42 bachelor's programs at Cal State LA by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($98,811), Civil Engineering ($73,178), and Electrical Engineering ($63,981).

Other civil engineering bachelor's programs near Los Angeles

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public		$73,178	$18,767
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	7 mi	$85,262	$8,125
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	16 mi	$87,790	$27,000
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	16 mi	$75,510	$19,444
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	20 mi	$73,342	$16,437
Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public	20 mi	$75,758	$16,500
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	21 mi	$72,606	$13,548
CSUNNorthridge, CA · public	24 mi	$62,768	$18,732
UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	34 mi	$73,835	$19,700

Common questions

The median graduate earns $73,178 one year after graduating and $99,644 five years after. The median across civil engineering bachelor's programs in California is $73,541.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the civil engineering program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Civil Engineering bachelor's programs in California, ranked20 programs by pay and debt Civil Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked207 programs by pay and debt All Cal State LA programs, ranked42 programs by pay and debt