Program ranking · CIP 14.35 bachelor's · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges for Industrial Engineering

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data retrieved March-July 2026, these colleges rank highest on median earnings for Industrial Engineering (CIP 14.35) bachelor's completers. Rankings use earnings only - not prestige, selectivity, or editorial judgment - and require at least 25 completers so tiny suppressed cohorts do not dominate the list.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

$138,720
Highest industrial engineering earnings: 64
Colleges ranked: $56,541
#64 cutoff

The list in one line

Every college on this list reports at least $56,541 median earnings for Industrial Engineering bachelor's (CIP 14.35) completers. Northwestern University leads at $138,720.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$138,720
#1 - Northwestern University: $56,541
#64 - the cutoff to make this list: 25+
completers required per school: 133
US schools offering this CIP

Earnings are field-of-study medians for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled; see methodology for horizon and lag details.

Northwestern University

$138,720
Georgia Institute of Tec…

$128,003
Lehigh University

$121,498
University of Michigan-A…

$117,930
Virginia Polytechnic Ins…

$116,641
California Polytechnic S…

$112,797
University of Southern C…

$112,150
University of Connecticut

$111,672
Northeastern University

$111,430
University of Wisconsin-…

$110,711
University of Washington…

$109,575
The University of Tennes…

$107,093
Purdue University-Main C…

$107,031
Ohio State University-Ma…

$106,932
Rochester Institute of T…

$105,313

What this shows Industrial-engineering medians track operations, manufacturing, and systems roles - debt still matters when plant and logistics hiring swings.

The full top 64

#	School Name	State	Median Earnings	Median Debt	Completers
1	Northwestern University	IL	$138,720	$18,000	55
2	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus	GA	$128,003	$19,791	382
3	Lehigh University	PA	$121,498	$23,834	39
4	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MI	$117,930	$19,750	170
5	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	$116,641	$22,625	191
6	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	CA	$112,797	$19,691	72
7	University of Southern California	CA	$112,150	$17,704	57
8	University of Connecticut	CT	$111,672	$24,889	47
9	Northeastern University	MA	$111,430	$25,000	84
10	University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	$110,711	$23,481	118
11	University of Washington-Seattle Campus	WA	$109,575	$16,743	43
12	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	$107,093	$21,500	43
13	Purdue University-Main Campus	IN	$107,031	$18,357	262
14	Ohio State University-Main Campus	OH	$106,932	$21,000	156
15	Rochester Institute of Technology	NY	$105,313	$30,677	41
16	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	PA	$104,758	$24,250	154
17	University of Louisville	KY	$104,538	$23,000	28
18	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	$103,143	$21,299	79
19	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	$102,439	$19,189	77
20	Oakland University	MI	$102,222	$28,500	28
21	Oregon State University	OR	$101,653	$21,899	43
22	New Jersey Institute of Technology	NJ	$101,547	$25,000	34
23	University of Missouri-Columbia	MO	$101,380	$26,512	28
24	North Carolina State University at Raleigh	NC	$100,172	$21,096	102
25	Auburn University	AL	$99,441	$23,250	96
26	West Virginia University	WV	$99,180	$25,048	105
27	University of Miami	FL	$99,068	$15,110	45
28	University of Arkansas	AR	$98,765	$25,405	61
29	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus	PA	$98,654	$24,375	68
30	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	NY	$98,509	$22,500	56
31	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	OK	$98,394	$27,000	54
32	Texas Tech University	TX	$98,266	$28,500	45
33	University of Massachusetts-Amherst	MA	$97,791	$26,111	30
34	The University of Texas at Arlington	TX	$97,788	$18,359	27
35	Florida State University	FL	$96,504	$19,375	33
36	Texas A&M University-College Station	TX	$95,918	$18,749	261
37	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	CA	$95,835	$25,000	55
38	Binghamton University	NY	$95,354	$20,500	66
39	University of Iowa	IA	$95,347	$21,375	29
40	University of Alabama in Huntsville	AL	$95,153	$27,997	38
41	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	$94,748	$21,500	54
42	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	$94,692	$26,000	43
43	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	$94,382	$26,855	41
44	North Carolina A & T State University	NC	$93,183	$31,000	43
45	Kansas State University	KS	$93,098	$24,399	50
46	Iowa State University	IA	$92,914	$23,250	132
47	South Dakota School of Mines and Technology	SD	$92,815	$25,000	27
48	Clemson University	SC	$92,491	$24,000	201
49	Mississippi State University	MS	$92,332	$27,000	53
50	Western Michigan University	MI	$92,306	-	34
51	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	MN	$92,241	$21,500	76
52	University of Central Florida	FL	$91,630	$23,269	131
53	Texas State University	TX	$90,729	$24,483	34
54	University of South Florida	FL	$90,040	$20,521	55
55	University of Wisconsin-Platteville	WI	$88,918	$27,275	31
56	Montana State University	MT	$88,087	$26,000	33
57	Kettering University	MI	$86,265	-	27
58	University of Illinois Chicago	IL	$86,202	$20,341	31
59	University at Buffalo	NY	$86,118	$20,875	54
60	North Dakota State University-Main Campus	ND	$84,016	$25,625	39
61	Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	IL	$82,744	-	49
62	The University of Texas at El Paso	TX	$82,391	$16,104	61
63	University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez	PR	$75,096	$10,000	97
64	Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon	PR	$56,541	$10,525	26

About This Ranking

Schools are ranked by College Scorecard field-of-study median earnings for Industrial Engineering (CIP 14.35) bachelor's completers. Only operating schools with at least 25 completers and a published median are included. Ties break toward larger completer cohorts. For the full program profile - including every reporting school and national distribution - see Industrial Engineering (bachelor's). Methodology lives on our methodology page.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means highest reported median earnings for the stated CIP scope - not teaching quality, licensure pass rates, clinical placement strength, or fit for any one student. This list covers Industrial Engineering (CIP 14.35) bachelor's programs - mechanical engineering (CIP 14.19) and management science paths are ranked separately when demand warrants.

Figures cover federally aided completers only, use Treasury-linked earnings, and describe a lagged cohort. Regional pay scales and graduate-school paths both move the median without proving a causal school effect.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute academic or career advice. Earnings do not predict any individual graduate's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard field-of-study data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.

Cite this page

PlainCollege, “Best Colleges for Industrial Engineering.” Compiled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage datasets; data as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals. https://plaincollege.com/rankings/best-colleges-for-industrial-engineering

Formal citation formats (APA / MLA)

APA: PlainCollege. (2026). Best Colleges for Industrial Engineering. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://plaincollege.com/rankings/best-colleges-for-industrial-engineering

MLA: "Best Colleges for Industrial Engineering." PlainCollege, 2026, https://plaincollege.com/rankings/best-colleges-for-industrial-engineering.

You are welcome to quote these figures with attribution to PlainCollege and the underlying federal source. The URL above is stable.