MAJORS · 108 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a mechanical engineering technology degree worth it?
Part of Engineering — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$1,097,648. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$1,097,648
across 69 bachelor’s programs · 5,304 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$1.09M
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$964K ⟷ +$1.27M
NEVER BREAK EVEN
0%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
27
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$622K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$115K
Questions
- Is a mechanical engineering technology degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 69 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Mechanical Engineering Technology is +$1,097,648 and the median is +$1,090,437. 0% of graduates in this field never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$963,829 and +$1,267,060.
- How long until a mechanical engineering technology degree pays off?
- Among Mechanical Engineering Technology programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 27 (FREOPP 2021). 0% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a mechanical engineering technology major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Mechanical Engineering Technology graduates span +$963,829 to +$1,267,060 — a +$303K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Mechanical Engineering Technology: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/mechanical-engineering-technology