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. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 33 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.
For graduate earnings in civil engineering, no school beat University Of Notre Dame this year. University Of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame. Students who complete the civil engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $94,259.
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying civil engineering schools. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a public school located in the city of Champaign. Students who complete the civil engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $90,751.
Students chasing top earnings in civil engineering will find them at Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Terre Haute, Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Civil Engineering graduates of Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology earn a median of about $89,394 a year early in their careers.
University Of Dayton came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying civil engineering schools. University Of Dayton is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Dayton. After graduating, civil engineering degree recipients from University Of Dayton typically earn about $90,774 annually.
Purdue University Main Campus produces some of the highest-paid graduates in civil engineering, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue University Main Campus is a public institution. Civil Engineering graduates of Purdue University Main Campus earn a median of about $85,536 a year early in their careers.
Michigan State University placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for civil engineering. Set in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State University is a public institution. After graduating, civil engineering degree recipients from Michigan State University typically earn about $87,138 annually.
University Of Cincinnati Main Campus came in at #7 for civil engineering graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Cincinnati, University Of Cincinnati Main Campus is a public institution. After graduating, civil engineering degree recipients from University Of Cincinnati Main Campus typically earn about $88,041 annually.
Lawrence Technological University landed the #8 spot for civil engineering salaries this year. Located in the city of Southfield, Lawrence Technological University is a private not-for-profit institution. Civil Engineering graduates of Lawrence Technological University earn a median of about $77,836 a year early in their careers.
Marquette University ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying civil engineering schools. Set in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career civil engineering graduates from Marquette University make a median of around $91,837 per year.
Illinois Institute Of Technology came in at #10 for civil engineering graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Institute Of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career civil engineering graduates from Illinois Institute Of Technology make a median of around $84,660 per year.
Bradley University placed #11 among the highest-paying schools for civil engineering. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the civil engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $82,851.
Michigan Technological University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying civil engineering schools. Located in the town of Houghton, Michigan Technological University is a public institution. Early-career civil engineering graduates from Michigan Technological University make a median of around $85,298 per year.
Wayne State University placed #13 among the highest-paying schools for civil engineering. Wayne State University is a public school located in the city of Detroit. After graduating, civil engineering degree recipients from Wayne State University typically earn about $80,725 annually.
University Of Wisconsin Madison ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying civil engineering schools. Set in the city of Madison, University Of Wisconsin Madison is a public institution. After graduating, civil engineering degree recipients from University Of Wisconsin Madison typically earn about $83,988 annually.
University Of Michigan Ann Arbor ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying civil engineering schools. University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a public school located in the city of Ann Arbor. Early-career civil engineering graduates from University Of Michigan Ann Arbor make a median of around $88,870 per year.
University Of Illinois At Chicago ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying civil engineering schools. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public institution. Students who complete the civil engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $83,670.
Case Western Reserve University came in at #17 for civil engineering graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the civil engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $74,266.
University Of Wisconsin Platteville earned the #18 position for civil engineering graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Platteville, University Of Wisconsin Platteville is a public institution. After graduating, civil engineering degree recipients from University Of Wisconsin Platteville typically earn about $81,237 annually.
Western Michigan University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying civil engineering schools. Located in the city of Kalamazoo, Western Michigan University is a public institution. Students who complete the civil engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $80,962.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville placed #20 among the highest-paying schools for civil engineering. Set in the suburb of Edwardsville, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution. Students who complete the civil engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $83,754.
Valparaiso University earned the #21 position for civil engineering graduate earnings this year. Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Valparaiso. After graduating, civil engineering degree recipients from Valparaiso University typically earn about $80,194 annually.
Ohio State University Main Campus earned the #22 position for civil engineering graduate earnings this year. Ohio State University Main Campus is a public school located in the city of Columbus. After graduating, civil engineering degree recipients from Ohio State University Main Campus typically earn about $82,114 annually.
Milwaukee School Of Engineering placed #23 among the highest-paying schools for civil engineering. Set in the city of Milwaukee, Milwaukee School Of Engineering is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career civil engineering graduates from Milwaukee School Of Engineering make a median of around $72,940 per year.
University Of Toledo landed the #24 spot for civil engineering salaries this year. Located in the city of Toledo, University Of Toledo is a public institution. Civil Engineering graduates of University Of Toledo earn a median of about $76,345 a year early in their careers.
University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying civil engineering schools. Set in the city of Milwaukee, University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee is a public institution. After graduating, civil engineering degree recipients from University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee typically earn about $83,381 annually.
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s highest-paid civil engineering ranking:
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries civil 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 · 33 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.