by our College Data Analytics Team
[Ie Industrial Engineering](/majors/engineering/ie-industrial-engineering/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a ie industrial 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 ie industrial engineering graduates.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose ie industrial engineering graduates go on to earn the most.
Our analysis ranked Northwestern University the top school for ie industrial engineering graduate earnings in Illinois. Set in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career ie industrial engineering graduates from Northwestern University make a median of around $137,306 per year.
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign produces some of the highest-paid graduates in ie industrial engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a public institution. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn a median of about $98,221 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in ie industrial engineering will find them at Northern Illinois University, which ranked #3. Northern Illinois University is a public school located in the suburb of Dekalb. Students who complete the ie industrial engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $88,954.
Strong graduate earnings at Bradley University earned it the #4 place for ie industrial engineering. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria. Early-career ie industrial engineering graduates from Bradley University make a median of around $86,997 per year.
A rank of #5 makes Southern Illinois University Edwardsville one of the highest-paying schools for ie industrial engineering. Set in the suburb of Edwardsville, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville earn a median of about $73,092 a year early in their careers.
University Of Illinois At Chicago came in at #6 for ie industrial engineering graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public institution. Ie Industrial Engineering graduates of University Of Illinois At Chicago earn a median of about $88,853 a year early in their careers.
This ranking is produced 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 · 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.