Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at Wright State University-Main Campus

Wright State's electrical engineering graduates start at $68,977—nearly $10,000 below the national median for this program and $5,000 under their Ohio peers. While this places them in just the 10th percentile nationally, they're middle-of-the-pack within Ohio itself (40th percentile), suggesting the state's engineering programs generally underperform compared to their national counterparts. The debt load of $23,250 is manageable, translating to a reasonable 0.34 debt-to-earnings ratio, and graduates see steady 14% earnings growth to $78,729 by year four.

The practical concern here is that Ohio's top engineering programs—Case Western, Toledo, Cincinnati—all place graduates at starting salaries $10,000-$15,000 higher. For a field where employers value credentials and networks, that gap matters. Wright State's 95% admission rate and open-access mission serve an important purpose, but your student will likely need to work harder to access the same opportunities that peers at more selective Ohio programs find readily available.

This program won't close doors, and the debt is light enough that your child won't be financially burdened. But if they can gain admission to Ohio's stronger engineering schools—particularly public options like Toledo or Cincinnati—the higher starting salary would likely justify any modest increase in costs. Wright State makes sense if it's the most accessible option or if your student has strong personal reasons to stay in Dayton.