by our College Data Analytics Team
[Environmental Engineering](/majors/engineering/environmental-engineering/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a environmental engineering degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools to find where environmental engineering graduates earn the most.
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Below are the schools whose environmental engineering graduates go on to earn the most.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earned the #1 spot for highest-paid environmental engineering graduates in the Middle Atlantic Region. Set in the city of Troy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the environmental engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $88,236.
Strong graduate earnings at Cornell University earned it the #2 place for environmental engineering. Set in the city of Ithaca, Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career environmental engineering graduates from Cornell University make a median of around $87,212 per year.
A rank of #3 makes University Of Delaware one of the highest-paying schools for environmental engineering. Located in the suburb of Newark, University Of Delaware is a public institution. After graduating, environmental engineering degree recipients from University Of Delaware typically earn about $82,285 annually.
A rank of #4 makes Cuny City College one of the highest-paying schools for environmental engineering. Cuny City College is a public school located in the city of New York. Students who complete the environmental engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $81,630.
A rank of #5 makes Drexel University one of the highest-paying schools for environmental engineering. Set in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career environmental engineering graduates from Drexel University make a median of around $78,581 per year.
Clarkson University earned the #6 position for environmental engineering graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Potsdam, Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career environmental engineering graduates from Clarkson University make a median of around $73,390 per year.
University At Buffalo placed #7 among the highest-paying schools for environmental engineering. Set in the suburb of Buffalo, University At Buffalo is a public institution. After graduating, environmental engineering degree recipients from University At Buffalo typically earn about $74,767 annually.
Wilkes University placed #8 among the highest-paying schools for environmental engineering. Set in the city of Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, environmental engineering degree recipients from Wilkes University typically earn about $69,726 annually.
Syracuse University placed #9 among the highest-paying schools for environmental engineering. Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Syracuse. Early-career environmental engineering graduates from Syracuse University make a median of around $49,297 per year.
This list is compiled 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 · 9 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.