How much debt do UMass Lowell electrical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 8th lowest of 10 electrical engineering bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a electrical engineering degree from UMass Lowell worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 33% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 32%. Compare the cost with other Massachusetts programs before deciding.

UMass Lowell Electrical Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UMass Lowell electrical engineering graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 88% (95 of 108) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
Public university
Lowell, MA
About 123 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMass Lowell electrical engineering graduates earn more than graduates of most electrical engineering programs nationally, $82,798 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$82,79882nd percentile of 247 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$95,85816% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0008th lowest of 10 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings33%Massachusetts median 31%, national 32%

How it compares

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

	UMass Lowell	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$82,798	$82,798	$77,928
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$95,858	$103,304	$99,155
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,323	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	33%	31%	32%
Programs compared		11	247

Five years out, UMass Lowell graduates earn less than the national figure and about $7,446 less than the Massachusetts median.

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

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

UMass LowellOther 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 16% between the first and fifth year.

UMass Lowell grads, year 1$82,798

UMass Lowell grads, year 5$95,858

All Massachusetts electrical engineering grads, year 5$103,304

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 $5,627 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$78,424Median debt $29,995

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$84,051Median debt $24,476

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 4.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (124 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
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. Separately, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $15,104.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

88% of graduates (95 of 108) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $82,798 salary here buys what about $76,476 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

$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

Electrical Engineers

$127,720

Median pay in Massachusetts. 5,040 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $78,140Top 10%: $176,470

Electronics Engineers, Except Computer

$138,230

Median pay in Massachusetts. 5,910 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $95,090Top 10%: $215,290

Computer Hardware Engineers

$167,600

Median pay in Massachusetts. 3,150 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $118,490Top 10%: $258,880

About UMass Lowell

In-state tuition and fees	$16,966 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$36,264 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,163 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	11,434

Electrical Engineering ranks 3rd of 27 bachelor's programs at UMass Lowell by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($86,167), Computer Engineering ($85,280), and Electrical Engineering ($82,798).

Other electrical engineering bachelor's programs near Lowell

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMass LowellLowell, MA · public		$82,798	$27,000
MITCambridge, MA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$117,345	$11,935
Boston UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$80,528	$26,646
Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$92,222	$24,835
Wentworth Institute of TechnologyBoston, MA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$82,962	$26,000
UMass BostonBoston, MA · public	28 mi	$82,118	$25,874
WPIWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	36 mi	$89,897	$26,977

Common questions

The median graduate earns $82,798 one year after graduating and $95,858 five years after. The median across electrical engineering bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $82,798.

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 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 Massachusetts, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Electrical Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked247 programs by pay and debt All UMass Lowell programs, ranked29 programs by pay and debt