Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at Benedict College

An estimated $26,000 in debt for an engineering degree that could launch careers near $77,000 appears manageable on paper, though the limited graduate cohort here means we're drawing heavily on what similar South Carolina engineering programs produce. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34 suggests graduates could theoretically pay off loans within a year or two of focused repayment, aligning with what makes engineering degrees appealing investments.

But context matters considerably for Benedict College. With an average SAT of 910 and 63% of students on Pell grants, this is an institution serving students who often face significant academic and financial challenges. Engineering programs are notoriously rigorous—completion rates matter as much as graduate outcomes. If your child doesn't complete the degree, they'll carry debt without the engineering salary to justify it. The handful of graduates producing these estimates suggests either a small program or retention struggles worth investigating directly with the school.

The earnings figures match what Clemson and USC graduates achieve, which sounds encouraging until you recognize those are flagship institutions with vastly different resources and industry connections. Your child could reasonably earn a strong engineering salary from Benedict, but you need to understand their graduation rates, support systems, and employer relationships before banking on these peer-program projections becoming reality.