Mechanical Engineering at University of Denver

University of Denver's mechanical engineering graduates start nearly $6,000 below the national median, earning $65,014 in their first year compared to $70,744 nationally. While this places them in just the 18th percentile nationwide, the Colorado context offers some relief—they're roughly at the state median and ahead of larger programs like CU Boulder and Colorado State. Still, for a private university charging premium tuition, trailing Colorado School of Mines by $9,000 and even CU Denver by $6,000 raises questions about value.

The debt picture is reasonable at $26,248—slightly above national and state averages but manageable with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.40. Earnings do grow 21% to $78,459 by year four, which is solid progression. However, that still leaves graduates earning less than what many competing Colorado programs deliver right out of the gate.

For families paying private school prices, this program delivers middle-of-the-pack results in a state with strong public alternatives. Unless Denver's urban location or smaller class sizes matter significantly to your child, the higher cost of attendance here makes it hard to justify over Colorado's public engineering schools that produce similar or better outcomes at lower sticker prices.