How much debt do TCNJ mechanical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,875, which ranks 2nd lowest of 5 mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $243 a month over 10 years.

Is a mechanical engineering degree from TCNJ worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 35% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%. Compare the cost with other New Jersey programs before deciding.

TCNJ Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do TCNJ mechanical engineering graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 78% (29 of 37) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering
Public college
Ewing, NJ
About 40 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

TCNJ mechanical engineering graduates earn less than graduates of most mechanical engineering programs nationally, $65,761 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,875 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,730. Several New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$65,76119th percentile of 302 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$84,25328% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,8752nd lowest of 5 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings35%New Jersey median 34%, national 35%

How it compares

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

	TCNJ	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$65,761	$70,122	$70,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$84,253	$89,308	$91,554
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,875	$23,250	$24,730
Debt as share of first-year pay	35%	34%	35%
Programs compared		6	302

Five years out, TCNJ graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,055 less than the New Jersey median. Several New Jersey programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every New Jersey mechanical engineering program

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

TCNJOther New Jersey 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 28% between the first and fifth year.

TCNJ grads, year 1$65,761

TCNJ grads, year 5$84,253

All New Jersey mechanical engineering grads, year 5$89,308

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 $243 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

78% of graduates (29 of 37) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the Trenton area are about 3% above the national average, so a $65,761 salary here buys what about $63,734 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

$112,300

Median pay in New Jersey. 4,180 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $79,160Top 10%: $162,800

Cost Estimators

$80,570

Median pay in New Jersey. 5,240 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $50,390Top 10%: $137,080

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$180,640

Median pay in New Jersey. 4,540 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $129,690Top 10%: $275,950

Aerospace Engineers

$126,430

Median pay in New Jersey. 3,400 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $103,230Top 10%: $163,770

About TCNJ

In-state tuition and fees	$19,632 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$25,752 / year
Average net price after aid	$27,646 / year
Admission rate	62%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	86%
Undergraduate students	7,105

Mechanical Engineering ranks 7th of 23 bachelor's programs at TCNJ by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($85,986), Computer and Information Science ($84,539), and Computer Engineering ($84,241).

Other mechanical engineering bachelor's programs near Ewing

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
TCNJEwing, NJ · public		$65,761	$22,875
RutgersNew Brunswick, NJ · public	24 mi	$71,569	$23,250
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	28 mi	$66,161	$26,843
Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	31 mi	$74,267	$31,000
UPennPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	31 mi	$66,876	$12,455
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	34 mi	$80,962	$25,995
Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA · private nonprofit	37 mi	$72,481	$19,500
Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA · private nonprofit	39 mi	$75,479	$24,950
Widener UniversityChester, PA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$65,515	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $65,761 one year after graduating and $84,253 five years after. The median across mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in New Jersey is $70,122.

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Mechanical Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked302 programs by pay and debt All TCNJ programs, ranked23 programs by pay and debt