What Architectural Engineering Graduates Earn
How much do Architectural Engineering bachelor's graduates earn?
One year out, the median bachelor's graduate in Architectural Engineering earns $78,568; five years out, $96,182. The figures pool 673 graduates counted at the first horizon, and the median debt carried out of school is $24,540.
For a student weighing Architectural Engineering: the starting median is $78,568, the five-year median is $96,182, and the median borrower owes $24,540. Here is every one of those numbers with its workings shown.
Updated November 5, 2026
Median earnings at 1, 4, and 5 years (College Scorecard)
The three rows below are the whole earnings story Scorecard can tell about Architectural Engineering: $78,568, then $91,336, then $96,182. Each median is graduate-weighted, built from 15 programs at year one and 13 at year five, and the unweighted program median sits alongside so a reader can see how much the weighting itself is doing.
| Horizon | Median earnings (graduate-weighted) | Median program (unweighted) | Graduates counted | Share earning above the high-school threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduation | $78,568 | $76,714 | 673 | 67.3% |
| 4 years after graduation | $91,336 | $87,297 | 669 | n/p |
| 5 years after graduation | $96,182 | $89,564 | 565 | 76.3% |
From $78,568 in the first year to $96,182 in the fifth, earnings grow 22% ($17,614). For scale, the median bachelor's field in the Scorecard file grows from $45,010 to $65,763 over the same span, so this field's early-career slope is gentler than typical.
The Pell split adds a second lens on the $78,568 year-one median: graduates who received Pell Grants earn a median of $78,761, and graduates who did not earn $78,336, a gap of $425. Read it as a map of where each group studied and the networks they carried in, not as the degree paying two different wages for the same work.
Inside its own CIP family, Architectural Engineering ranks 10 of 17 published bachelor's fields by five-year earnings; the family median at that horizon is $97,669. Its closest sibling is Mechanical Engineering at $95,975, below this field's $96,182. Family comparisons strip out the broad field effect and leave the specific program choice exposed.
Ranked across all 182 published fields, Architectural Engineering stands number 23 by five-year earnings and number 12 by first-year earnings, and number 161 from the lowest median debt. Those three ranks together are the field's fingerprint: high earn rank with a low debt rank is the combination students are actually shopping for, and this field's spread between them is 138 places.
The debt side of the same degree
The median graduate in this field leaves school owing $24,540 in federal loans, the graduate-weighted median across the 18 programs reporting debt. That is 31% of the first-year median earnings, or about 3.7 months of gross pay at $78,568 a year. On the standard 10-year plan at the 2026-27 undergraduate rate of 6.52%, the payment is $279 a month and interest adds $8,928 over the life of the loan. Price your own borrowing with the student loan payoff calculator, and test the whole degree in the college ROI calculator or the college major ROI calculator.
Where graduates of this field earn the most
One field, many markets: the five-year median for Architectural Engineering is $96,182 nationally, yet the strongest programs below run far ahead of it. The ranking keeps a 30-graduate floor under every entry, and Auburn University heads the list at $107,440.
| Institution | Median earnings, 5 years | Median earnings, 1 year | Median debt | Graduates counted (5yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn University | $107,440 | $84,099 | $17,763 | 76 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | $100,769 | $78,742 | $31,000 | 75 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $98,136 | $81,271 | $21,627 | 67 |
| Kansas State University | $97,428 | $76,714 | $25,000 | 51 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | $96,182 | $75,012 | $21,000 | 32 |
A program median describes that program's own graduates in that program's own labor market; Auburn University at $107,440 is evidence about a place and a mix of students, not a wage offer. Put the same programs' prices next to these figures with the degree cost calculator and the net price estimator before ranking anything.
Two more facts about the shape of this field: the five highest-paying programs in the table account for only 53.3% of the 565 graduates counted at five years, so the top of the table is a thin slice and not the field's center; and the leading program's five-year median of $107,440 sits 12% above the national field median of $96,182. Its median debt, $17,763, runs below the field median of $24,540, which is the trade a student at the top of this table is actually being offered.
Frequently asked questions
What is the starting salary for Architectural Engineering graduates?
Scorecard's first measured horizon is one year after graduation, and the graduate-weighted median there is $78,568 across 15 programs. By year five the median reaches $96,182.
What do Architectural Engineering graduates owe when they finish?
A median of $24,540 in federal loans at graduation. At the 2026-27 undergraduate rate of 6.52%, the standard 10-year payment is $279 a month.
Why does this page show two different medians for Architectural Engineering?
One median weights every program by its graduates counted, so it describes the middle graduate; the other is the middle program, unweighted. For this field they are $78,568 and $76,714 at year one, and printing both keeps the method honest.
How does Architectural Engineering compare with other degrees?
Its five-year median of $96,182 sits above the all-fields median of $65,763. The ranked table for all published fields is on the degree earnings hub in this section.