Is a mechanical engineering degree from University of Central Oklahoma worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 43% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%. Compare the cost with other Oklahoma programs before deciding.

University of Central Oklahoma Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do University of Central Oklahoma mechanical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $31,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 5 mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Oklahoma. That works out to about $329 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do University of Central Oklahoma mechanical engineering graduates stay in Oklahoma?

Most do. 88% (21 of 24) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering
Public university
Edmond, OK
About 28 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Central Oklahoma mechanical engineering graduates earn about what mechanical engineering graduates earn nationally, $71,362 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $31,000 in federal loans, more than at 97% of mechanical engineering programs in the country. One other Oklahoma program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$71,36255th percentile of 302 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$86,06821% more than year one

Median federal debt$31,0005th lowest of 5 Oklahoma programs

Debt-to-earnings43%Oklahoma median 31%, national 35%

How it compares

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

	University of Central Oklahoma	Oklahoma	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$71,362	$70,220	$70,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$86,068	$90,509	$91,554
Median federal debt at graduation	$31,000	$21,821	$24,730
Debt as share of first-year pay	43%	31%	35%
Programs compared		5	302

Five years out, University of Central Oklahoma graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,441 less than the Oklahoma median.

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

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

University of Central OklahomaOther Oklahoma 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 21% between the first and fifth year.

University of Central Oklahoma grads, year 1$71,362

University of Central Oklahoma grads, year 5$86,068

All Oklahoma mechanical engineering grads, year 5$90,509

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 $329 a month, or 5.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

88% of graduates (21 of 24) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating. Prices in the Oklahoma City area are about 10% below the national average, so a $71,362 salary here buys what about $78,933 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

$101,850

Median pay in Oklahoma. 2,270 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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%: $70,070Top 10%: $136,110

Cost Estimators

$67,800

Median pay in Oklahoma. 1,860 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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%: $42,700Top 10%: $104,750

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$157,330

Median pay in Oklahoma. 2,070 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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%: $108,990Top 10%: $234,620

Aerospace Engineers

$125,470

Median pay in Oklahoma. 1,090 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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%: $80,040Top 10%: $161,780

About University of Central Oklahoma

In-state tuition and fees	$8,818 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,704 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,309 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	37%
Undergraduate students	10,170

Mechanical Engineering ranks 2nd of 35 bachelor's programs at University of Central Oklahoma by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,438), Mechanical Engineering ($71,362), and Electrical Engineering ($69,156).

Other mechanical engineering bachelor's programs near Edmond

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Central OklahomaEdmond, OK · public		$71,362	$31,000
Oklahoma Christian UniversityEdmond, OK · private nonprofit	3 mi	$65,764	$23,000
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OK · public	31 mi	$71,424	$21,821
Oklahoma StateStillwater, OK · public	39 mi	$69,905	$21,750

Common questions

The median graduate earns $71,362 one year after graduating and $86,068 five years after. The median across mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Oklahoma is $70,220.

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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Mechanical Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked302 programs by pay and debt All University of Central Oklahoma programs, ranked35 programs by pay and debt