Chemical Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology

NJIT's chemical engineering program lands graduates squarely in the middle of New Jersey's options—$66,617 starting salary puts it just below Rutgers ($67,777) but ahead of Rowan ($61,045), though trailing Stevens by nearly $13,000. The catch? You're paying similar tuition to Rutgers (both are state schools) but getting outcomes that lag $1,160 behind their starting salary. Within New Jersey's small pool of chemical engineering programs, this ranks at the 40th percentile—essentially middle-of-the-pack performance in a state with limited options.

The national picture is more sobering. While chemical engineering typically launches graduates into the top tier of starting salaries, NJIT's $66,617 median falls in the 23rd percentile nationally—below three-quarters of comparable programs. That's roughly $6,400 less than the national median for this major. The debt load of $26,437 is manageable (0.40 debt-to-earnings ratio), and earnings grow respectably to $78,403 by year four, but you're still playing catch-up to peers who started stronger.

For New Jersey residents, NJIT offers a decent safety valve: solid engineering credentials at public school pricing with manageable debt. But if your child can get into Rutgers or Stevens, those programs deliver notably stronger outcomes. The value proposition here is "acceptable state school option" rather than "compelling deal"—fine if it's the most realistic admit, but not worth choosing over stronger alternatives.