Engineering at Santa Clara University

Santa Clara's engineering program shows estimated first-year earnings of $67,911—well below what most California engineering graduates achieve. Across 26 engineering programs statewide, the median graduate earns $87,724, nearly $20,000 more than what peer programs suggest for Santa Clara. Even more striking, the estimated debt load of $26,459 is nearly double California's engineering median of $15,000, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio that looks expensive by state standards.

The numbers become clearer when you consider specific comparisons: Harvey Mudd graduates start at $92,491, while UC Davis engineers earn $82,956—both substantially outpacing what similar programs suggest for Santa Clara. For a selective private university with an average SAT of 1417 and only 11% Pell Grant recipients, these estimated outcomes raise questions about value. You're potentially paying premium tuition for returns that appear more aligned with national averages than with California's competitive engineering market.

These estimates come from comparable programs nationally and don't reflect Santa Clara's actual graduate outcomes, which the DOE couldn't publish due to small sample sizes. But the gap between estimated performance and state benchmarks is wide enough that you'd want concrete evidence—perhaps from the school directly—that their graduates actually command the higher salaries typical of California engineering programs before committing to what will likely be significantly more debt than state alternatives.