How much debt do Purdue Northwest mechanical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,250, which ranks 4th lowest of 8 mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $268 a month over 10 years.

Is a mechanical engineering degree from Purdue Northwest worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 37% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%. Compare the cost with other Indiana programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Purdue Northwest mechanical engineering graduates stay in Indiana?

Most do. 62% (42 of 68) were working in Indiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering
Public university
Hammond, IN
About 32 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Purdue Northwest mechanical engineering graduates earn about what mechanical engineering graduates earn nationally, $68,632 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,730. Several Indiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$68,63237th percentile of 302 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$89,23930% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,2504th lowest of 8 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings37%Indiana median 37%, national 35%

How it compares

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

	Purdue Northwest	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$68,632	$68,632	$70,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$89,239	$89,239	$91,554
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,250	$25,431	$24,730
Debt as share of first-year pay	37%	37%	35%
Programs compared		9	302

Five years out, Purdue Northwest graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Indiana median.

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

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

Purdue NorthwestOther Indiana 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 30% between the first and fifth year.

Purdue Northwest grads, year 1$68,632

Purdue Northwest grads, year 5$89,239

All Indiana mechanical engineering grads, year 5$89,239

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 $3,335 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$66,344Median debt $24,750

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$69,679Median debt $25,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $268 a month, or 4.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (59 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
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

62% of graduates (42 of 68) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $68,632 salary here buys what about $66,250 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

$99,590

Median pay in Indiana. 8,690 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $66,330Top 10%: $143,090

Cost Estimators

$73,430

Median pay in Indiana. 4,810 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $50,630Top 10%: $106,640

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$155,810

Median pay in Indiana. 4,610 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $102,030Top 10%: $214,470

Aerospace Engineers

$107,400

Median pay in Indiana. 440 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $82,530Top 10%: $176,860

About Purdue Northwest

In-state tuition and fees	$8,675 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,094 / year
Average net price after aid	$6,079 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	5,671

Mechanical Engineering ranks 5th of 27 bachelor's programs at Purdue Northwest by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($79,917), Nursing ($77,691), and Electrical Engineering Technology ($75,675).

Other mechanical engineering bachelor's programs near Hammond

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Purdue NorthwestHammond, IN · public		$68,632	$25,250
Illinois Institute of TechnologyChicago, IL · private nonprofit	19 mi	$65,386	$27,000
UICChicago, IL · public	22 mi	$69,871	$21,500
Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso, IN · private nonprofit	24 mi	$68,265	$27,000
Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · private nonprofit	34 mi	$75,253	$15,334

Common questions

The median graduate earns $68,632 one year after graduating and $89,239 five years after. The median across mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Indiana is $68,632.

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 Indiana 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 Indiana, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Mechanical Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked302 programs by pay and debt All Purdue Northwest programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt