by our College Data Analytics Team
[Environmental Engineering](/majors/engineering/environmental-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a environmental engineering degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 6 schools on the early-career earnings of their environmental engineering graduates.
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Below are the schools whose environmental engineering graduates go on to earn the most.
Ohio State University Main Campus earned the #1 spot for highest-paid environmental engineering graduates in the Great Lakes Region. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State University Main Campus is a public institution. Students who complete the environmental engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $84,092.
A rank of #2 makes Purdue University Main Campus one of the highest-paying schools for environmental engineering. Purdue University Main Campus is a public school located in the city of West Lafayette. After graduating, environmental engineering degree recipients from Purdue University Main Campus typically earn about $71,861 annually.
A rank of #3 makes University Of Wisconsin Platteville one of the highest-paying schools for environmental engineering. Set in the town of Platteville, University Of Wisconsin Platteville is a public institution. Environmental Engineering graduates of University Of Wisconsin Platteville earn a median of about $74,875 a year early in their careers.
University Of Michigan Ann Arbor came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying environmental engineering schools. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a public institution. Early-career environmental engineering graduates from University Of Michigan Ann Arbor make a median of around $88,990 per year.
Michigan Technological University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying environmental engineering schools. Set in the town of Houghton, Michigan Technological University is a public institution. After graduating, environmental engineering degree recipients from Michigan Technological University typically earn about $77,977 annually.
University Of Notre Dame placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for environmental engineering. Set in the suburb of Notre Dame, University Of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, environmental engineering degree recipients from University Of Notre Dame typically earn about $64,675 annually.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries environmental 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 · 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.