Industrial Engineering at University of South Carolina Aiken

The small graduating class here makes these numbers uncertain, but even taking them at face value, this program lags significantly behind what industrial engineering typically delivers. At $60,091 in first-year earnings, graduates earn roughly $14,000 less than the national median for the field and $7,000 below South Carolina's median. For context, Clemson's industrial engineering program produces graduates earning $74,709—a $15,000 gap that compounds year after year.

The debt level of $22,828 is actually reasonable, creating a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.38. This program sits at the 40th percentile statewide, meaning most SC industrial engineering programs produce better outcomes, but it's not at the bottom. The 80% admission rate and modest test scores suggest this serves a different student population than Clemson, which may explain some of the earnings gap.

Industrial engineering is a strong field nationally—median grads earn nearly $75,000—so even this program's below-average performance still delivers a living wage with manageable debt. But if your child can gain admission to Clemson or one of the higher-ranked SC options, the earnings advantage would likely justify the switch. If this is their only acceptance, they'll have decent job prospects, just not the premium salary this degree typically commands.