How much debt do CU Denver electrical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $34,500, which ranks 5th lowest of 5 electrical engineering bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $366 a month over 10 years.

Is a electrical engineering degree from CU Denver worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 44% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 32%. Compare the cost with other Colorado programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do CU Denver electrical engineering graduates stay in Colorado?

Most do. 80% (39 of 49) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
Public university
Denver, CO
About 36 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

CU Denver electrical engineering graduates earn about what electrical engineering graduates earn nationally, $78,878 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $34,500 in federal loans, more than at 98% of electrical engineering programs in the country. Several Colorado programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$78,87859th percentile of 247 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$103,43331% more than year one

Median federal debt$34,5005th lowest of 5 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings44%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 Denver	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$78,878	$80,513	$77,928
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$103,433	$103,433	$99,155
Median federal debt at graduation	$34,500	$25,324	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	44%	31%	32%
Programs compared		5	247

Five years out, CU Denver graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as 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 DenverOther 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 31% between the first and fifth year.

CU Denver grads, year 1$78,878

CU Denver grads, year 5$103,433

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 $366 a month, or 5.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (46 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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

80% of graduates (39 of 49) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Denver area are about 6% above the national average, so a $78,878 salary here buys what about $74,567 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 Denver

In-state tuition and fees	$10,383 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,391 / year
Average net price after aid	$11,900 / year
Admission rate	75%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	46%
Undergraduate students	10,519

Electrical Engineering ranks 1st of 32 bachelor's programs at CU Denver by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($78,878), Nursing ($75,503), and Computer and Information Science ($75,137).

Other electrical engineering bachelor's programs near Denver

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
CU DenverDenver, CO · public		$78,878	$34,500
Colorado School of MinesGolden, CO · public	20 mi	$80,815	$22,000
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	29 mi	$88,957	$20,414
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	59 mi	$78,038	$25,900
UCCSColorado Springs, CO · public	59 mi	$80,513	$25,324

Common questions

The median graduate earns $78,878 one year after graduating and $103,433 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 Denver programs, ranked34 programs by pay and debt