by our College Data Analytics Team
[Civil Engineering](/majors/engineering/civil-engineering/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a civil engineering degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find where civil engineering graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose civil engineering graduates go on to earn the most.
Leading the list is University Of Washington Seattle Campus, our #1 for civil engineering graduate salaries in Washington. Located in the city of Seattle, University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a public institution. Civil Engineering graduates of University Of Washington Seattle Campus earn a median of about $93,627 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Washington Tacoma Campus one of the highest-paying schools for civil engineering. University Of Washington Tacoma Campus is a public school located in the city of Tacoma. After graduating, civil engineering degree recipients from University Of Washington Tacoma Campus typically earn about $93,627 annually.
Washington State University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in civil engineering, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the town of Pullman, Washington State University is a public institution. Students who complete the civil engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $89,281.
Students chasing top earnings in civil engineering will find them at Saint Martins University, which ranked #4. Located in the city of Lacey, Saint Martins University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career civil engineering graduates from Saint Martins University make a median of around $92,987 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Gonzaga University earned it the #5 place for civil engineering. Located in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career civil engineering graduates from Gonzaga University make a median of around $85,891 per year.
Seattle University landed the #6 spot for civil engineering salaries this year. Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the civil engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $69,151.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their civil engineering graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 6 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.