How much debt do Rowan University mechanical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,500, which ranks the lowest of 5 mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $239 a month over 10 years.

Is a mechanical engineering degree from Rowan University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 34% 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 New Jersey programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do Rowan University mechanical engineering graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 77% (75 of 97) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering
Public university
Glassboro, NJ
About 101 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Rowan University mechanical engineering graduates earn about what mechanical engineering graduates earn nationally, $66,909 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,730. Several New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$66,90927th percentile of 302 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$89,30833% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,500The lowest of 5 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings34%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.

	Rowan University	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$66,909	$70,122	$70,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$89,308	$89,308	$91,554
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,500	$23,250	$24,730
Debt as share of first-year pay	34%	34%	35%
Programs compared		6	302

Five years out, Rowan University graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the New Jersey median.

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.

Rowan UniversityOther 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 33% between the first and fifth year.

Rowan University grads, year 1$66,909

Rowan University grads, year 5$89,308

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.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned about the same in their first year as other graduates. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$67,038Median debt $22,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$67,064Median debt $24,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $239 a month, or 4.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (53 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–39%
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

77% of graduates (75 of 97) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the Philadelphia area are about 3% above the national average, so a $66,909 salary here buys what about $65,243 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 Rowan University

In-state tuition and fees	$16,574 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$26,932 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,408 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	67%
Undergraduate students	15,841

Mechanical Engineering ranks 7th of 42 bachelor's programs at Rowan University by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Finishing and Inspection ($85,630), Nursing ($84,859), and Electrical Engineering ($79,612).

Other mechanical engineering bachelor's programs near Glassboro

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ · public		$66,909	$22,500
Widener UniversityChester, PA · private nonprofit	16 mi	$65,515	$27,000
UPennPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$66,876	$12,455
Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$74,267	$31,000
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	19 mi	$66,161	$26,843
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$80,962	$25,995
TCNJEwing, NJ · public	43 mi	$65,761	$22,875

Common questions

The median graduate earns $66,909 one year after graduating and $89,308 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 Rowan University programs, ranked42 programs by pay and debt