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

  • Bachelor's in Civil Engineering
  • Private nonprofit university
  • Angola, IN
  • About 29 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Trine University civil engineering graduates earn less than graduates of most civil engineering programs nationally, $65,700 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,500. Several Indiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$65,70023rd percentile of 207 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$77,55418% more than year one
Median federal debt$27,0004th lowest of 6 Indiana programs
Debt-to-earnings41%Indiana median 36%, 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 civil engineering bachelor's programs that report the figure.

Five years out, Trine University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $7,982 less than the Indiana median.

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

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

Trine UniversityOther 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 18% between the first and fifth year.

Trine University grads, year 1$65,700
Trine University grads, year 5$77,554
All Indiana civil engineering grads, year 5$85,536

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 $286 a month, or 5.2% 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

67% of graduates (22 of 33) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Indiana outside metro areas are about 11% below the national average, so a $65,700 salary here buys what about $74,106 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

$98,270

Median pay in Indiana. 4,030 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $64,200Top 10%: $140,130

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

Environmental Engineers

$92,460

Median pay in Indiana. 520 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $65,120Top 10%: $142,780

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 Trine University

Civil Engineering ranks 6th of 14 bachelor's programs at Trine University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($73,923), Chemical Engineering ($72,875), and Biomedical Engineering ($67,702).

Other civil engineering bachelor's programs near Angola

Common questions

The median graduate earns $65,700 one year after graduating and $77,554 five years after. The median across civil engineering bachelor's programs in Indiana is $71,685.

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 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