How much debt do UT Permian Basin petroleum engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,500, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 petroleum engineering bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $260 a month over 10 years.

Is a petroleum engineering degree from UT Permian Basin worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 40% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 38%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.

Do UT Permian Basin petroleum engineering graduates stay in Texas?

Most do. 89% (16 of 18) were working in Texas one year after graduating.

UT Permian Basin Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Petroleum Engineering
Public university
Odessa, TX
About 25 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UT Permian Basin petroleum engineering graduates earn about what petroleum engineering graduates earn nationally, $61,299 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,750. Several Texas programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$61,29937th percentile of 19 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$99,27662% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,5004th lowest of 5 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings40%Texas median 32%, national 38%

How it compares

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

	UT Permian Basin	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$61,299	$65,451	$68,913
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$99,276	$116,140	$99,276
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,500	$23,366	$25,750
Debt as share of first-year pay	40%	32%	38%
Programs compared		6	19

Five years out, UT Permian Basin graduates earn about the national figure but about $16,864 less than the Texas median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas petroleum engineering program

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

UT Permian BasinOther Texas 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 62% between the first and fifth year.

UT Permian Basin grads, year 1$61,299

UT Permian Basin grads, year 5$99,276

All Texas petroleum engineering grads, year 5$116,140

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 $260 a month, or 5.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (16 of 18) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Odessa area are about 6% below the national average, so a $61,299 salary here buys what about $65,284 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 petroleum engineering, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$171,370

Median pay in Texas. 19,030 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $120,460Top 10%: $277,790

Petroleum Engineers

$164,860

Median pay in Texas. 9,140 people work in this job in Texas. 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.

Bottom 10%: $89,990Top 10%: $283,500

About UT Permian Basin

In-state tuition and fees	$9,236 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$21,504 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,723 / year
Admission rate	95%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	40%
Undergraduate students	3,911

Petroleum Engineering ranks 3rd of 7 bachelor's programs at UT Permian Basin by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,681), Mechanical Engineering ($65,167), and Petroleum Engineering ($61,299).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $61,299 one year after graduating and $99,276 five years after. The median across petroleum engineering bachelor's programs in Texas is $65,451.

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 Texas 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 petroleum 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

Petroleum Engineering bachelor's programs in Texas, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Petroleum Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked19 programs by pay and debt All UT Permian Basin programs, ranked7 programs by pay and debt