Civil Engineering at Valparaiso University

Valparaiso's civil engineering program lands near the national median but trails most Indiana competitors, sitting in the 40th percentile statewide. While first-year earnings of $69,549 match the national average almost exactly, they fall about $2,100 short of Indiana's median—a meaningful gap when you consider that Purdue, Notre Dame, and Rose-Hulman all deliver $4,000-$5,000 more annually. The 2% earnings growth to year four suggests relatively flat career progression, at least in the early years.

The upside here is debt management: at $27,000, graduates carry just slightly more than the national median but less than Indiana's state average, resulting in a manageable 0.39 debt-to-earnings ratio. This means graduates face lower financial pressure than peers at some competing schools, which matters for early-career flexibility. The modest sample size (30-100 graduates) means individual outcomes may vary more than at larger programs, though the data is sufficient to draw reasonable conclusions.

For an Indiana family, this is a practical but not exceptional choice. You're looking at solid starting pay with reasonable debt, but peers at Purdue or Rose-Hulman will likely out-earn your child by $20,000-$25,000 over the first four years. If Valparaiso offers significantly better merit aid or your child values the smaller school environment enough to offset that earnings difference, it works—but this isn't the value leader in the state.