How much debt do UMass Amherst mechanical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 10 mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a mechanical engineering degree from UMass Amherst worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 37% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%. Compare the cost with other Massachusetts programs before deciding.

UMass Amherst Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UMass Amherst mechanical engineering graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 77% (168 of 219) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering
Public university
Amherst, MA
About 153 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMass Amherst mechanical engineering graduates earn about what mechanical engineering graduates earn nationally, $73,972 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,730. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$73,97271st percentile of 302 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$94,99528% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0005th lowest of 10 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings37%Massachusetts median 35%, national 35%

How it compares

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

	UMass Amherst	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$73,972	$77,828	$70,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$94,995	$96,385	$91,554
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$27,000	$24,730
Debt as share of first-year pay	37%	35%	35%
Programs compared		11	302

Five years out, UMass Amherst graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Massachusetts median.

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

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

UMass AmherstOther Massachusetts 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 28% between the first and fifth year.

UMass Amherst grads, year 1$73,972

UMass Amherst grads, year 5$94,995

All Massachusetts mechanical engineering grads, year 5$96,385

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $5,077 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$71,279Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$76,356Median debt $27,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 4.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (193 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–29%
Paying down the balance	50–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10% or less
In default	10% or less

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

77% of graduates (168 of 219) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Amherst Town area are about the same as the national average.

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

$119,300

Median pay in Massachusetts. 7,680 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $79,570Top 10%: $166,480

Cost Estimators

$100,840

Median pay in Massachusetts. 4,520 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $58,870Top 10%: $151,780

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$201,430

Median pay in Massachusetts. 7,690 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $137,750Top 10%: $286,410

Aerospace Engineers

$149,470

Median pay in Massachusetts. 990 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $89,750Top 10%: $217,840

About UMass Amherst

In-state tuition and fees	$17,772 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$40,449 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,383 / year
Admission rate	60%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	83%
Undergraduate students	23,671

Mechanical Engineering ranks 5th of 45 bachelor's programs at UMass Amherst by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($89,327), Computer Science ($88,554), and Nursing ($81,452).

Other mechanical engineering bachelor's programs near Amherst

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMass AmherstAmherst, MA · public		$73,972	$27,000
WPIWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	37 mi	$78,182	$27,000
University of HartfordWest Hartford, CT · private nonprofit	42 mi	$73,871	$27,000
UConnStorrs, CT · public	42 mi	$74,869	$23,000
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public	49 mi	$74,676	$22,534

Common questions

The median graduate earns $73,972 one year after graduating and $94,995 five years after. The median across mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $77,828.

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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Mechanical Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked302 programs by pay and debt All UMass Amherst programs, ranked45 programs by pay and debt