by our College Data Analytics Team
[Marine Engineering](/majors/engineering/marine-engineering/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
College Factual analyzed 5 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying marine engineering schools.
What’s on this page:
Where you study marine engineering affects what graduates go on to earn. To help, we created our Highest Paid Marine Engineering Graduates ranking. It looks at the median early-career salaries graduates earn, so you can find the schools whose marine engineering degrees pay off the most.
Read more about our methodology
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we offer several rankings, including this Highest Paid Marine Engineering Graduates list, to help you choose. Want schools in a particular part of the country? Narrow the list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we have developed a unique tool called College Combat that lets you compare schools on the factors that matter most to you.
If you want to know which schools send marine engineering graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Maine Maritime Academy tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying marine engineering schools in the United States. Maine Maritime Academy is a public school located in the rural area of Castine. Early-career marine engineering graduates from Maine Maritime Academy make a median of around $127,327 per year.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying marine engineering schools. Set in the suburb of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a public institution. Marine Engineering graduates of Massachusetts Maritime Academy earn a median of about $117,114 a year early in their careers.
Suny Maritime College came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying marine engineering schools. Set in the city of Throggs Neck, Suny Maritime College is a public institution. After graduating, marine engineering degree recipients from Suny Maritime College typically earn about $118,448 annually.
Strong graduate earnings at University Of Michigan Ann Arbor earned it the #4 place for marine engineering. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a public institution. Early-career marine engineering graduates from University Of Michigan Ann Arbor make a median of around $92,852 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Webb Institute earned it the #5 place for marine engineering. Set in the suburb of Glen Cove, Webb Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career marine engineering graduates from Webb Institute make a median of around $75,834 per year.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries marine 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 · 5 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.