Buffalo State Mechanical Engineering Technology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians
- Public university
- Buffalo, NY
- About 33 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Buffalo State mechanical engineering technology graduates earn about what mechanical engineering technology graduates earn nationally, $57,431 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,436 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. Several New York programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New York and national columns are the medians across all mechanical engineering technology bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Buffalo State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $5,903 more than the New York median.
Debt and first-year pay at every New York mechanical engineering technology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the New York medians.
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 51% between the first and fifth year.
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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $259 a month, or 5.4% 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
98% of graduates (47 of 48) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the Buffalo area are about 4% below the national average, so a $57,431 salary here buys what about $59,921 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 technology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
$54,120Median pay in New York. 32,020 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.
Mechanical Drafters
$76,490Median pay in New York. 1,940 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
$78,210Median pay in New York. 1,140 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians
$58,940Median pay in New York. 1,470 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
About Buffalo State
Mechanical Engineering Technology ranks 2nd of 25 bachelor's programs at Buffalo State by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering Technology ($71,894), Mechanical Engineering Technology ($57,431), and Information Science ($49,686).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $57,431 one year after graduating and $86,786 five years after. The median across mechanical engineering technology bachelor's programs in New York is $59,598.
The median federal loan balance is $24,436, which ranks 5th lowest of 8 mechanical engineering technology bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $259 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 43% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 42%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.
Most do. 98% (47 of 48) were working in New York one year after graduating.
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 mechanical engineering technology 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