Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering graduates earn a median $100,647 four years after finishing — $52,287/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,902/yr net price ($67,608 over four years), that pays back in about 1.3 years. Federal data pools 385 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 16,288 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ranks #8 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 97% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | PA | $250,168 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | $200,543 |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | $161,118 |
| 4 | Cornell University | NY | $147,241 |
| 5 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | $146,003 |
| 6 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | $143,332 |
| 7 | Rice University | TX | $136,656 |
| 8 | University of Southern California | CA | $131,532 |
| 9 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | $126,209 |
| 10 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | $125,240 |
| 11 | University of California-Santa Cruz | CA | $118,290 |
| 12 | University of California-San Diego | CA | $118,150 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.
How fast does Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering pay grow after graduation?
From $74,958 one year out to $100,647 four years out — a $25,689 climb, or 34% over three years. Both are federal medians of the same graduating cohorts, so the gap reflects real wage progression rather than a change in who is measured.
How many students graduate in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering each year?
About 16,288 bachelor's graduates a year across 385 programs in the federal file. Cohort size matters when reading the median: a field this size averages across a wide range of employers, regions and job titles.