How much debt do CU Boulder electrical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,414, which ranks the lowest of 5 electrical engineering bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $216 a month over 10 years.

Is a electrical engineering degree from CU Boulder worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 23% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 32%.

CU Boulder Electrical Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
Public university
Boulder, CO
About 28 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

CU Boulder electrical engineering graduates earn more than graduates of most electrical engineering programs nationally, $88,957 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,414 in federal loans, less than at 78% of electrical engineering programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying electrical engineering degrees in Colorado.

First-year earnings$88,95794th percentile of 247 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$107,89121% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,414The lowest of 5 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings23%Colorado median 31%, national 32%

How it compares

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

	CU Boulder	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$88,957	$80,513	$77,928
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$107,891	$103,433	$99,155
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,414	$25,324	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	23%	31%	32%
Programs compared		5	247

Five years out, CU Boulder graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,458 more than the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado electrical engineering program

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

CU BoulderOther Colorado 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.

CU Boulder grads, year 1$88,957

CU Boulder grads, year 5$107,891

All Colorado electrical engineering grads, year 5$103,433

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 $216 a month, or 2.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Boulder area are about 5% above the national average, so a $88,957 salary here buys what about $84,558 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 electrical engineering, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$183,810

Median pay in Colorado. 4,900 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $135,380Top 10%: $272,950

Electrical Engineers

$120,760

Median pay in Colorado. 4,200 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $81,720Top 10%: $177,310

Electronics Engineers, Except Computer

$127,010

Median pay in Colorado. 6,080 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $84,510Top 10%: $191,140

Computer Hardware Engineers

$156,080

Median pay in Colorado. 2,660 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $100,050Top 10%: $222,220

About CU Boulder

In-state tuition and fees	$15,666 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$44,918 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,346 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	74%
Undergraduate students	31,939

Electrical Engineering ranks 1st of 39 bachelor's programs at CU Boulder by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($88,957), Computer Engineering ($86,211), and Aerospace Engineering ($81,835).

Other electrical engineering bachelor's programs near Boulder

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public		$88,957	$20,414
Colorado School of MinesGolden, CO · public	18 mi	$80,815	$22,000
CU DenverDenver, CO · public	29 mi	$78,878	$34,500
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	40 mi	$78,038	$25,900

Common questions

The median graduate earns $88,957 one year after graduating and $107,891 five years after. The median across electrical engineering bachelor's programs in Colorado is $80,513.

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 Colorado 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 electrical 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

Electrical Engineering bachelor's programs in Colorado, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Electrical Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked247 programs by pay and debt All CU Boulder programs, ranked39 programs by pay and debt