Is a mechanical engineering degree from University of Evansville worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 38% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%. Compare the cost with other Indiana programs before deciding.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $25,010, which ranks 3rd lowest of 8 mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering
Private nonprofit university
Evansville, IN
About 19 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Evansville mechanical engineering graduates earn less than graduates of most mechanical engineering programs nationally, $66,553 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,010 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,730. Several Indiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$66,55325th percentile of 302 programs nationally

Median federal debt$25,0103rd lowest of 8 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings38%Indiana median 37%, 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 mechanical engineering bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	University of Evansville	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$66,553	$68,632	$70,725
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,010	$25,431	$24,730
Debt as share of first-year pay	38%	37%	35%
Programs compared		9	302

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

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

University of EvansvilleOther Indiana programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 4.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (29 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	60–79%

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

Prices in the Evansville area are about 8% below the national average, so a $66,553 salary here buys what about $72,713 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

$99,590

Median pay in Indiana. 8,690 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $66,330Top 10%: $143,090

Cost Estimators

$73,430

Median pay in Indiana. 4,810 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $50,630Top 10%: $106,640

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

Aerospace Engineers

$107,400

Median pay in Indiana. 440 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $82,530Top 10%: $176,860

About University of Evansville

Tuition and fees	$44,172 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,499 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	64%
Undergraduate students	1,539

Mechanical Engineering ranks 3rd of 8 bachelor's programs at University of Evansville by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($73,549), Nursing ($71,066), and Mechanical Engineering ($66,553).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $66,553 one year after graduating. The median across mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Indiana is $68,632.

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 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 Indiana, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Mechanical Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked302 programs by pay and debt All University of Evansville programs, ranked9 programs by pay and debt