Gonzaga University Civil Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Civil Engineering
  • Private nonprofit university
  • Spokane, WA
  • About 26 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Gonzaga University civil engineering graduates earn more than graduates of most civil engineering programs nationally, $74,355 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,500. One other Washington program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$74,35585th percentile of 207 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$85,89116% more than year one
Median federal debt$25,0005th lowest of 5 Washington programs
Debt-to-earnings34%Washington median 33%, national 35%

How it compares

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

Five years out, Gonzaga University graduates earn about the national figure but about $5,243 less than the Washington median.

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

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

Gonzaga UniversityOther Washington 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 16% between the first and fifth year.

Gonzaga University grads, year 1$74,355
Gonzaga University grads, year 5$85,891
All Washington civil engineering grads, year 5$91,134

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 $265 a month, or 4.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

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

70% of graduates (38 of 54) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the Spokane area are about the same as the national average.

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

$110,000

Median pay in Washington. 12,590 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $81,840Top 10%: $160,670

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$189,680

Median pay in Washington. 6,060 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $148,930Top 10%: $263,550

Environmental Engineers

$125,460

Median pay in Washington. 1,920 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $80,660Top 10%: $175,610

Petroleum Engineers

$134,800

Median pay in Washington. 190 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $107,690Top 10%: $184,360

About Gonzaga University

Civil Engineering ranks 4th of 20 bachelor's programs at Gonzaga University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($84,466), Electrical Engineering ($81,435), and Computer Science ($76,636).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $74,355 one year after graduating and $85,891 five years after. The median across civil engineering bachelor's programs in Washington is $73,357.

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 Washington 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

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

Related pages