How much debt do University of Michigan civil engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,750, which ranks the lowest of 6 civil engineering bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $199 a month over 10 years.

Is a civil engineering degree from University of Michigan worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 28% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Michigan programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Do University of Michigan civil engineering graduates stay in Michigan?

Many leave. 45% (20 of 44) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

University of Michigan Civil Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Civil Engineering
Public university
Ann Arbor, MI
About 55 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Michigan civil engineering graduates earn about what civil engineering graduates earn nationally, $67,764 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,750 in federal loans, less than at 88% of civil engineering programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying civil engineering degrees in Michigan.

First-year earnings$67,76435th percentile of 207 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$88,87031% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,750The lowest of 6 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings28%Michigan median 38%, national 35%

How it compares

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

	University of Michigan	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$67,764	$71,488	$69,582
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$88,870	$85,298	$85,897
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,750	$28,078	$24,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	28%	38%	35%
Programs compared		6	207

Five years out, University of Michigan graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,572 more than the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan civil engineering program

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

University of MichiganOther Michigan 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.

University of Michigan grads, year 1$67,764

University of Michigan grads, year 5$88,870

All Michigan civil engineering grads, year 5$85,298

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 $3,978 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$67,159

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$71,137

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $199 a month, or 3.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (31 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

45% of graduates (20 of 44) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Ann Arbor area are about 1% above the national average, so a $67,764 salary here buys what about $67,173 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 civil engineering, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Civil Engineers

$92,100

Median pay in Michigan. 7,760 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 22,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $63,920Top 10%: $130,400

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$166,930

Median pay in Michigan. 14,820 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $117,490Top 10%: $218,050

Environmental Engineers

$105,080

Median pay in Michigan. 810 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $73,090Top 10%: $142,570

Petroleum Engineers

$144,910

Median pay nationwide. 580 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

About University of Michigan

In-state tuition and fees	$17,736 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$60,946 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,138 / year
Admission rate	16%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	93%
Undergraduate students	34,177

Civil Engineering ranks 17th of 56 bachelor's programs at University of Michigan by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($113,634), Software and Media Applications ($98,117), and Business Administration ($93,674).

Other civil engineering bachelor's programs near Ann Arbor

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public		$67,764	$18,750
Lawrence Technological UniversitySouthfield, MI · private nonprofit	28 mi	$77,836	$30,197
Wayne StateDetroit, MI · public	34 mi	$73,488	$30,548
University of ToledoToledo, OH · public	43 mi	$70,388	$20,500
Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	49 mi	$72,048	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $67,764 one year after graduating and $88,870 five years after. The median across civil engineering bachelor's programs in Michigan is $71,488.

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 Michigan 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 civil 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

Civil Engineering bachelor's programs in Michigan, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Civil Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked207 programs by pay and debt All University of Michigan programs, ranked56 programs by pay and debt