by our College Data Analytics Team
[Manufacturing Engineering](/majors/engineering/manufacturing-engineering/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 13 schools to find where manufacturing engineering graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
Where you study manufacturing engineering affects what graduates go on to earn. That is why we built our Highest Paid Manufacturing Engineering Graduates ranking. We rank each school on the early-career earnings of its manufacturing engineering graduates to surface the highest-paying programs.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we offer several rankings, including this Highest Paid Manufacturing Engineering Graduates list, to help you choose. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about our methodology
If you want to know which schools send manufacturing engineering graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
California State Polytechnic University Pomona tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying manufacturing engineering schools in the United States. California State Polytechnic University Pomona is a public school located in the suburb of Pomona. Students who complete the manufacturing engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $93,335.
Students chasing top earnings in manufacturing engineering will find them at Georgia Southern University, which ranked #2. Set in the town of Statesboro, Georgia Southern University is a public institution. Early-career manufacturing engineering graduates from Georgia Southern University make a median of around $83,438 per year.
Students chasing top earnings in manufacturing engineering will find them at Oregon State University, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Corvallis, Oregon State University is a public institution. Manufacturing Engineering graduates of Oregon State University earn a median of about $92,078 a year early in their careers.
Brigham Young University Provo came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying manufacturing engineering schools. Brigham Young University Provo is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Provo. Students who complete the manufacturing engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $91,738.
A rank of #5 makes Dunwoody College Of Technology one of the highest-paying schools for manufacturing engineering. Set in the city of Minneapolis, Dunwoody College Of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the manufacturing engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $77,857.
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Grand Valley State University ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying manufacturing engineering schools. Grand Valley State University is a public school located in the town of Allendale. Manufacturing Engineering graduates of Grand Valley State University earn a median of about $76,754 a year early in their careers.
University Of Wisconsin Stout earned the #7 position for manufacturing engineering graduate earnings this year. University Of Wisconsin Stout is a public school located in the town of Menomonie. After graduating, manufacturing engineering degree recipients from University Of Wisconsin Stout typically earn about $81,185 annually.
Texas State University San Marcos earned the #8 position for manufacturing engineering graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of San Marcos, Texas State University San Marcos is a public institution. Students who complete the manufacturing engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $86,375.
Bradley University came in at #9 for manufacturing engineering graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Peoria, Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career manufacturing engineering graduates from Bradley University make a median of around $88,449 per year.
Arizona State University placed #10 among the highest-paying schools for manufacturing engineering. Arizona State University is a public school located in the city of Tempe. Students who complete the manufacturing engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $74,119.
Ferris State University ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying manufacturing engineering schools. Located in the town of Big Rapids, Ferris State University is a public institution. Students who complete the manufacturing engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $77,154.
Western Washington University landed the #12 spot for manufacturing engineering salaries this year. Western Washington University is a public school located in the city of Bellingham. Early-career manufacturing engineering graduates from Western Washington University make a median of around $65,863 per year.
Robert Morris University landed the #13 spot for manufacturing engineering salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Moon Township, Robert Morris University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the manufacturing engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $62,012.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries manufacturing engineering graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 13 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
