How much debt do Stony Brook University civil engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $17,250, which ranks 2nd lowest of 10 civil engineering bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $183 a month over 10 years.

Is a civil engineering degree from Stony Brook University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 24% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several New York programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do Stony Brook University civil engineering graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 91% (41 of 45) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Civil Engineering
Public university
Stony Brook, NY
About 33 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Stony Brook University civil engineering graduates earn about what civil engineering graduates earn nationally, $71,856 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $17,250 in federal loans, less than at 90% of civil engineering programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying civil engineering degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$71,85668th percentile of 207 programs nationally

Median federal debt$17,2502nd lowest of 10 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings24%New York median 33%, national 35%

How it compares

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

	Stony Brook University	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$71,856	$71,823	$69,582
Median federal debt at graduation	$17,250	$22,409	$24,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	24%	33%	35%
Programs compared		10	207

Debt and first-year pay at every New York civil engineering program

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

Stony Brook UniversityOther New York programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

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. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$71,814

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$73,061

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $183 a month, or 3.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (41 of 45) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $71,856 salary here buys what about $63,836 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 civil engineering, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Civil Engineers

$103,760

Median pay in New York. 17,500 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $77,290Top 10%: $169,050

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$175,710

Median pay in New York. 8,250 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $128,500Top 10%: $274,870

Environmental Engineers

$101,270

Median pay in New York. 3,170 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $67,370Top 10%: $157,490

Petroleum Engineers

$144,910

Median pay nationwide. 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.

About Stony Brook University

In-state tuition and fees	$10,931 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$32,741 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,784 / year
Admission rate	49%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	76%
Undergraduate students	18,101

Civil Engineering ranks 8th of 33 bachelor's programs at Stony Brook University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($94,853), Medical Laboratory Science ($92,286), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($92,165).

Other civil engineering bachelor's programs near Stony Brook

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY · public		$71,856	$17,250
University of New HavenWest Haven, CT · private nonprofit	27 mi	$70,495	$27,000
Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	37 mi	$73,064	$27,000
Manhattan UniversityRiverdale, NY · private nonprofit	41 mi	$75,290	$27,000
City College of New YorkNew York, NY · public	44 mi	$67,194	$17,500
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	48 mi	$72,628	$21,905
Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken, NJ · private nonprofit	49 mi	$74,011	$27,000
NJITNewark, NJ · public	57 mi	$68,288	$24,085
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public	57 mi	$71,859	$31,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $71,856 one year after graduating. The median across civil engineering bachelor's programs in New York is $71,823.

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 York 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

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

Civil Engineering bachelor's programs in New York, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Civil Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked207 programs by pay and debt All Stony Brook University programs, ranked33 programs by pay and debt