US College Programs

Mechanical Engineering Technology (Bachelor's) Programs in Indiana, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

  • 5 programs report first-year pay
  • 5 also report federal debt
  • Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median Indiana mechanical engineering technology bachelor's program pays its graduates $66,479 in their first year, $4,039 more than the national median. Purdue reports the highest first-year pay ($67,093), and Purdue the lowest median debt ($20,500).

Median first-year pay$66,479National $62,440
Median pay after 5 years$80,156National $80,883
Median federal debt$25,319National $27,000
Debt-to-earnings38%National 42%

All 5 programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

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

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

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only the 5 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

  1. Purdue$67,093
  2. IU Indianapolis$66,816
  3. Indiana State$66,479
  4. Purdue Fort Wayne$65,385
  5. Purdue Northwest$65,059

Lowest median debt

  1. Purdue$20,500
  2. Purdue Northwest$25,000
  3. IU Indianapolis$25,319
  4. Indiana State$26,990
  5. Purdue Fort Wayne$27,000

Lowest debt for the pay

  1. Purdue31%
  2. IU Indianapolis38%
  3. Purdue Northwest38%
  4. Indiana State41%
  5. Purdue Fort Wayne41%

"Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay. Only programs that report both figures are included.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to mechanical engineering technology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics

$49,360

Median pay in Indiana. 16,480 people work in this job in Indiana. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $35,800Top 10%: $78,580

Mechanical Drafters

$62,820

Median pay in Indiana. 1,300 people work in this job in Indiana. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $45,470Top 10%: $88,470

Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians

$77,220

Median pay in Indiana. 1,500 people work in this job in Indiana. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,610Top 10%: $99,380

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians

$51,200

Median pay in Indiana. 450 people work in this job in Indiana. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $35,860Top 10%: $72,650

Common questions

Purdue in West Lafayette reports the highest median first-year pay, $67,093. Its median federal debt is $20,500.

Related pages

Mechanical Engineering Technology (Bachelor's) programs in the US, ranked57 programs by pay and debt

About this data

  • Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
  • 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 rankings when their main campus is in another state.
  • Medians are across the mechanical engineering technology bachelor's programs that report each figure, so the counts differ by figure. Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024