by our College Data Analytics Team
[Drafting Design Engineering Technology](/majors/engineering-technologies/drafting-design-engineering-technology/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a drafting design engineering technology degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 65 schools to find where drafting design engineering technology graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
Where you study drafting design engineering technology affects what graduates go on to earn. To help, we created our Highest Paid Drafting Design Engineering Technology Graduates ranking. We rank each school on the early-career earnings of its drafting design engineering technology graduates to surface the highest-paying programs.
We offer a number of rankings, including this Highest Paid Drafting Design Engineering Technology Graduates list, to help you decide. Want schools in a particular part of the country? Narrow the 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 drafting design engineering technology graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Minneapolis Community And Technical College tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying drafting design engineering technology schools in the United States. Minneapolis Community And Technical College is a public school located in the city of Minneapolis. After graduating, drafting design engineering technology degree recipients from Minneapolis Community And Technical College typically earn about $60,988 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in drafting design engineering technology will find them at Suny College Of Technology At Delhi, which ranked #2. Located in the rural area of Delhi, Suny College Of Technology At Delhi is a public institution. Drafting Design Engineering Technology graduates of Suny College Of Technology At Delhi earn a median of about $74,422 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #3 makes Weber State University one of the highest-paying schools for drafting design engineering technology. Located in the city of Ogden, Weber State University is a public institution. Drafting Design Engineering Technology graduates of Weber State University earn a median of about $81,431 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Anoka Technical College earned it the #4 place for drafting design engineering technology. Located in the suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public institution. After graduating, drafting design engineering technology degree recipients from Anoka Technical College typically earn about $66,696 annually.
Lamar Institute Of Technology produces some of the highest-paid graduates in drafting design engineering technology, landing the #5 spot this year. Lamar Institute Of Technology is a public school located in the city of Beaumont. Students who complete the drafting design engineering technology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $64,670.
Lake Washington Institute Of Technology came in at #6 for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Kirkland, Lake Washington Institute Of Technology is a public institution. After graduating, drafting design engineering technology degree recipients from Lake Washington Institute Of Technology typically earn about $64,269 annually.
Dunwoody College Of Technology earned the #7 position for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Dunwoody College Of Technology is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis. Students who complete the drafting design engineering technology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $75,599.
Delgado Community College earned the #8 position for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Delgado Community College is a public school located in the city of New Orleans. After graduating, drafting design engineering technology degree recipients from Delgado Community College typically earn about $56,136 annually.
Red Rocks Community College landed the #9 spot for drafting design engineering technology salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Lakewood, Red Rocks Community College is a public institution. Early-career drafting design engineering technology graduates from Red Rocks Community College make a median of around $63,049 per year.
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College placed #10 among the highest-paying schools for drafting design engineering technology. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College is a public school located in the city of Green Bay. Students who complete the drafting design engineering technology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $62,151.
Utah Valley University placed #11 among the highest-paying schools for drafting design engineering technology. Utah Valley University is a public school located in the city of Orem. Drafting Design Engineering Technology graduates of Utah Valley University earn a median of about $70,247 a year early in their careers.
Lee College came in at #12 for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Baytown, Lee College is a public institution. Early-career drafting design engineering technology graduates from Lee College make a median of around $61,000 per year.
El Centro College landed the #13 spot for drafting design engineering technology salaries this year. Set in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public institution. After graduating, drafting design engineering technology degree recipients from El Centro College typically earn about $53,241 annually.
Salt Lake Community College ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying drafting design engineering technology schools. Located in the suburb of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Community College is a public institution. After graduating, drafting design engineering technology degree recipients from Salt Lake Community College typically earn about $60,092 annually.
Trine University earned the #15 position for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Trine University is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Angola. After graduating, drafting design engineering technology degree recipients from Trine University typically earn about $81,146 annually.
Cuny New York City College Of Technology landed the #16 spot for drafting design engineering technology salaries this year. Located in the city of Brooklyn, Cuny New York City College Of Technology is a public institution. Students who complete the drafting design engineering technology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $59,228.
Northcentral Technical College landed the #17 spot for drafting design engineering technology salaries this year. Northcentral Technical College is a public school located in the city of Wausau. Students who complete the drafting design engineering technology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $61,635.
Portland Community College earned the #18 position for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Portland, Portland Community College is a public institution. Students who complete the drafting design engineering technology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $55,324.
Ivy Tech Community College landed the #19 spot for drafting design engineering technology salaries this year. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public institution. Early-career drafting design engineering technology graduates from Ivy Tech Community College make a median of around $52,237 per year.
Western Michigan University came in at #20 for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Kalamazoo, Western Michigan University is a public institution. Students who complete the drafting design engineering technology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $80,748.
San Jacinto Community College came in at #21 for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Pasadena, San Jacinto Community College is a public institution. Early-career drafting design engineering technology graduates from San Jacinto Community College make a median of around $53,866 per year.
Northland Community And Technical College earned the #22 position for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Thief River Falls, Northland Community And Technical College is a public institution. After graduating, drafting design engineering technology degree recipients from Northland Community And Technical College typically earn about $50,573 annually.
Eastern Florida State College landed the #23 spot for drafting design engineering technology salaries this year. Set in the city of Melbourne, Eastern Florida State College is a public institution. Drafting Design Engineering Technology graduates of Eastern Florida State College earn a median of about $53,643 a year early in their careers.
Vincennes University came in at #24 for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Vincennes University is a public school located in the town of Vincennes. Early-career drafting design engineering technology graduates from Vincennes University make a median of around $53,640 per year.
Austin Community College District came in at #25 for drafting design engineering technology graduate earnings this year. Austin Community College District is a public school located in the city of Austin. Students who complete the drafting design engineering technology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $50,717.
Not far behind, these schools also produced high-earning drafting design engineering technology graduates:
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries drafting design engineering technology 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 · 65 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.