Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus

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RPI Salaries

  • 8/10 Overall Rating
  • 4 Year
  • Troy, NY
  • 4.3 3 reviews
#12 Best Private Colleges in New York
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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

This page shows median first-year earnings for RPI graduates by major, based on federal College Scorecard data. Six years after enrolling, former students who are working and no longer in school report average earnings of $62,300 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $82,500. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

Below, majors are ranked by median first-year earnings.

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Computer Science, with median first-year earnings of $91,900 , followed by Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians at $88,400 , and Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at $74,000 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $77,200 , followed by Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) at $76,900 , and Applied Mathematics (Master's Degree) at $76,600 .

First-year earnings data come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and reflect IRS-reported income for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates who received federal grants or loans. Some programs are omitted for privacy.

Median first-year earnings for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $91,900
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor’s Degree) $88,400
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $77,200
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) $76,900
Applied Mathematics (Master's Degree) $76,600
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $74,000
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $72,200
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $70,500
Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) $69,800
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $69,000
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,700
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,500
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,000
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,000
Physics (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,300
Nuclear Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,900
Materials Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,300
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $57,700
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $57,400
Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,200
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,600

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=194824.

First-year earnings by major: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Last updated: August 2026