Civil Engineering at Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve delivers solid first-year earnings for civil engineering graduates at $74,266, outpacing the national median by nearly $5,000 and placing in the 89th percentile nationally. However, the Ohio context reveals a more competitive landscape—this program ranks in the 60th percentile statewide, trailing programs at University of Dayton, University of Cincinnati, and University of Toledo by roughly $3,000 annually. Given Case Western's selective admissions (29% acceptance rate, 1501 average SAT) and relatively high tuition, in-state families might reasonably question whether the premium justifies outcomes that several other Ohio programs match or exceed.

The debt picture is manageable: at $25,190, graduates face a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34, meaning they could theoretically pay off their loans in about four months of gross salary. That's favorable for any engineering program. But keep in mind this data comes from a small cohort (under 30 graduates), so individual outcomes may vary more than these medians suggest.

For students choosing between Ohio civil engineering programs purely on return metrics, Case Western's premium positioning doesn't translate to premium earnings outcomes. If your child already has strong merit aid from Case or values its research opportunities and smaller program size, the numbers work fine. Otherwise, several peer Ohio programs deliver comparable or better first-year earnings with similar debt loads.