Is a mechanical engineering degree from Central Connecticut State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 30% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%.

Central Connecticut State Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Central Connecticut State mechanical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,534, which ranks the lowest of 6 mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $239 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Central Connecticut State mechanical engineering graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 92% (54 of 59) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering
Public university
New Britain, CT
About 51 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Central Connecticut State mechanical engineering graduates earn more than graduates of most mechanical engineering programs nationally, $74,676 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,534 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,730. One other Connecticut program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$74,67676th percentile of 302 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$91,23122% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,534The lowest of 6 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings30%Connecticut median 39%, national 35%

How it compares

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

	Central Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$74,676	$69,756	$70,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$91,231	$90,370	$91,554
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,534	$26,938	$24,730
Debt as share of first-year pay	30%	39%	35%
Programs compared		6	302

Five years out, Central Connecticut State graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut mechanical engineering program

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

Central Connecticut StateOther Connecticut 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 22% between the first and fifth year.

Central Connecticut State grads, year 1$74,676

Central Connecticut State grads, year 5$91,231

All Connecticut mechanical engineering grads, year 5$90,370

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

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $17,365 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$66,891Median debt $22,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$84,256Median debt $23,069

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $239 a month, or 3.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (40 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

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

92% of graduates (54 of 59) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Hartford area are about 3% above the national average, so a $74,676 salary here buys what about $72,680 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 mechanical engineering, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Mechanical Engineers

$105,090

Median pay in Connecticut. 4,600 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $77,340Top 10%: $157,980

Cost Estimators

$81,030

Median pay in Connecticut. 2,350 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $50,020Top 10%: $136,830

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$175,490

Median pay in Connecticut. 4,970 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $122,200Top 10%: $245,970

Aerospace Engineers

$129,500

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,160 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $86,420Top 10%: $163,930

About Central Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,050 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,550 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,857 / year
Admission rate	73%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	48%
Undergraduate students	7,822

Mechanical Engineering ranks 3rd of 33 bachelor's programs at Central Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($83,012), Industrial Technology ($74,889), and Mechanical Engineering ($74,676).

Other mechanical engineering bachelor's programs near New Britain

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public		$74,676	$22,534
University of HartfordWest Hartford, CT · private nonprofit	8 mi	$73,871	$27,000
Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	20 mi	$65,640	$27,000
UConnStorrs, CT · public	28 mi	$74,869	$23,000
University of New HavenWest Haven, CT · private nonprofit	30 mi	$62,534	$27,000
Fairfield UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	45 mi	$62,846	$26,876
UMass AmherstAmherst, MA · public	49 mi	$73,972	$27,000
Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY · public	57 mi	$68,729	$20,008

Common questions

The median graduate earns $74,676 one year after graduating and $91,231 five years after. The median across mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $69,756.

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 Connecticut 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 mechanical 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

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's programs in Connecticut, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Mechanical Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked302 programs by pay and debt All Central Connecticut State programs, ranked33 programs by pay and debt