Engineering at DePauw University

Engineering programs in Indiana typically start graduates around $75,000—a figure based on schools with reported outcomes—but DePauw's comparable programs nationally suggest first-year earnings closer to $68,000. That's a meaningful gap of roughly $7,000 in year one, though still respectable for engineering. The estimated debt load of about $26,500 translates to a manageable 0.39 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates would owe less than 40% of their first year's salary.

The real question is whether DePauw's liberal arts approach to engineering—which typically emphasizes breadth over the depth you'd get at a technical university—justifies potentially lower starting pay. For students planning graduate school or interdisciplinary careers, that trade-off might work. For those heading straight into traditional engineering roles, the $7,000 annual difference compounds quickly: over a decade, that's potentially $70,000+ in lost earnings, assuming similar growth rates.

Given the small engineering cohort (hence the suppressed data), verify that DePauw offers robust support for the specific engineering discipline your child wants. At this price point and with these estimated outcomes, you're banking on the value of DePauw's broader liberal arts network and smaller classes to eventually close that earnings gap.