by our College Data Analytics Team
[Ie Industrial Engineering](/majors/engineering/ie-industrial-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a ie industrial engineering degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
College Factual analyzed 22 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying ie industrial engineering schools.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose ie industrial engineering graduates go on to earn the most.
Leading the list is Northwestern University, our #1 for ie industrial engineering graduate salaries in the Great Lakes Region. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the ie industrial engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $137,306.
University Of Wisconsin Madison produces some of the highest-paid graduates in ie industrial engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Madison, University Of Wisconsin Madison is a public institution. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of University Of Wisconsin Madison earn a median of about $110,022 a year early in their careers.
Ohio State University Main Campus produces some of the highest-paid graduates in ie industrial engineering, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State University Main Campus is a public institution. Early-career ie industrial engineering graduates from Ohio State University Main Campus make a median of around $105,342 per year.
A rank of #4 makes Purdue University Main Campus one of the highest-paying schools for ie industrial engineering. Set in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue University Main Campus is a public institution. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of Purdue University Main Campus earn a median of about $100,438 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #5 makes Kettering University one of the highest-paying schools for ie industrial engineering. Set in the city of Flint, Kettering University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career ie industrial engineering graduates from Kettering University make a median of around $94,052 per year.
University Of Michigan Ann Arbor ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying ie industrial engineering schools. Set in the city of Ann Arbor, University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a public institution. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of University Of Michigan Ann Arbor earn a median of about $113,310 a year early in their careers.
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign placed #7 among the highest-paying schools for ie industrial engineering. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a public school located in the city of Champaign. Students who complete the ie industrial engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $98,221.
Indiana Institute Of Technology landed the #8 spot for ie industrial engineering salaries this year. Indiana Institute Of Technology is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Wayne. Students who complete the ie industrial engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $88,090.
Indiana Institute Of Technology College Of Professional Studies earned the #9 position for ie industrial engineering graduate earnings this year. Indiana Institute Of Technology College Of Professional Studies is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Wayne. Early-career ie industrial engineering graduates from Indiana Institute Of Technology College Of Professional Studies make a median of around $88,090 per year.
University Of Wisconsin Platteville earned the #10 position for ie industrial engineering graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Platteville, University Of Wisconsin Platteville is a public institution. Students who complete the ie industrial engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $81,870.
Northern Illinois University placed #11 among the highest-paying schools for ie industrial engineering. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. After graduating, ie industrial engineering degree recipients from Northern Illinois University typically earn about $88,954 annually.
Milwaukee School Of Engineering ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying ie industrial engineering schools. Milwaukee School Of Engineering is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee. Students who complete the ie industrial engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $90,239.
Wayne State University earned the #13 position for ie industrial engineering graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Detroit, Wayne State University is a public institution. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of Wayne State University earn a median of about $77,815 a year early in their careers.
Western Michigan University earned the #14 position for ie industrial engineering graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Kalamazoo, Western Michigan University is a public institution. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of Western Michigan University earn a median of about $82,100 a year early in their careers.
Oakland University ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying ie industrial engineering schools. Set in the suburb of Rochester Hills, Oakland University is a public institution. Students who complete the ie industrial engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $77,169.
Ohio University Main Campus ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying ie industrial engineering schools. Located in the town of Athens, Ohio University Main Campus is a public institution. Students who complete the ie industrial engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $86,815.
University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee came in at #17 for ie industrial engineering graduate earnings this year. University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee is a public school located in the city of Milwaukee. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee earn a median of about $86,436 a year early in their careers.
Bradley University landed the #18 spot for ie industrial engineering salaries this year. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria. Students who complete the ie industrial engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $86,997.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #19 spot for ie industrial engineering salaries this year. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville. After graduating, ie industrial engineering degree recipients from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville typically earn about $73,092 annually.
University Of Illinois At Chicago placed #20 among the highest-paying schools for ie industrial engineering. University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public school located in the city of Chicago. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of University Of Illinois At Chicago earn a median of about $88,853 a year early in their careers.
Youngstown State University placed #21 among the highest-paying schools for ie industrial engineering. Set in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public institution. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of Youngstown State University earn a median of about $69,202 a year early in their careers.
Kent State University At Kent came in at #22 for ie industrial engineering graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Kent, Kent State University At Kent is a public institution. Students who complete the ie industrial engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $76,477.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries ie industrial 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 · 22 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.