Electrical Engineering Major — Salary & ROI 2026
Study of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism for practical applications.
Starting Salary
$80K
median
Mid-Career
$115K
salary
ROI Payback
3.3 yrs
avg payback
Unemployment
2.3%
rate
Electrical Engineering Overview
Study of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism for practical applications.
Category
Engineering
Degree Level
Bachelor's
Graduation Rate
64%
Enrollment Trend
stable
Online Available
Limited
Underemployment
11%
Lifetime Premium
$1000K
Female Graduates
14%
Electrical Engineering Degree ROI Calculator
Estimate your actual return on investment based on school type and scholarships.
0 to $40K/year in aid
Est. Total Cost
$21,600
4-year tuition
Net Cost (w/ aid)
$21,600
after scholarships
ROI Payback
0 years
to break even
Lifetime Return
$978,400
Lifetime earnings premium ($1,000,000) minus net degree cost ($21,600)
Electrical Engineering Salary Progression
Common Electrical Engineering Careers
Electrical Engineer
Hardware Engineer
Controls Engineer
Top Employers
Skills You'll Learn
Top Schools for Electrical Engineering
#1
MIT
#2
Stanford
#3
Georgia Tech
#4
UC Berkeley
#5
Caltech
Related Majors
Electrical Engineering Degree FAQ
Data Sources: Salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Enrollment and graduation data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES/IPEDS). Tuition estimates based on College Board Annual Survey of Colleges. Last updated March 2026.
Electrical Engineering Programs by City
Tuition, salary outcomes, and cost of living for electrical engineering programs vary by city. See your local numbers:
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