Majors
Best Colleges for Agricultural Engineering, by Earnings
30 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering, about 933 degrees a year. Across the 24 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $85,267 four years after finishing.
| Rank | College | State | Median earnings, 4 years out | Degrees a year | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornell University | NY | $99,600 | 27 | 8.8% |
| 2 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | NE | $96,908 | 5 | 87.5% |
| 3 | University of Maryland | MD | $93,440 | 125 | 44.8% |
| 4 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | $92,603 | 37 | 31.3% |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | IL | $89,400 | 75 | 42.4% |
| 6 | Iowa State University | IA | $88,576 | 62 | 88.7% |
| 7 | Clemson University | SC | $88,338 | 18 | 38.3% |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | VA | $88,315 | 54 | 54.8% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania State University | PA | $87,564 | 25 | 60.6% |
| 10 | Michigan State University | MI | $86,498 | 49 | 84.8% |
| 11 | Purdue University | IN | $86,306 | 57 | 49.9% |
| 12 | Texas A&M University | TX | $85,393 | 46 | 57.4% |
| 13 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | TN | $85,141 | 15 | 41.6% |
| 14 | North Carolina State University | NC | $84,848 | 34 | 41.7% |
| 15 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | ND | $84,529 | 11 | 95% |
| 16 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | OK | $83,517 | 17 | 75% |
| 17 | University of Minnesota | MN | $82,946 | 36 | 79.8% |
| 18 | Ohio State University | OH | $81,917 | 56 | 60.6% |
| 19 | Oregon State University | OR | $81,691 | 22 | 77.3% |
| 20 | Kansas State University | KS | $81,376 | 36 | 81.7% |
| 21 | South Dakota State University | SD | $79,322 | 10 | 98.3% |
| 22 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | $78,368 | 47 | 45.2% |
| 23 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | WI | $71,715 | 2 | 81.7% |
| 24 | University of Kentucky | KY | $68,605 | 19 | 92.9% |
6 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.
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Frequently asked questions
Which college has the highest-paid Agricultural Engineering graduates?
Cornell University ($99,600), University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($96,908), University of Maryland ($93,440), California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($92,603), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($89,400) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.
How much do Agricultural Engineering majors make?
The median across 24 colleges is $85,267 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $68,605 to $99,600.
Which colleges have the biggest Agricultural Engineering programs?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: University of Maryland (125), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (75), Iowa State University (62), Purdue University (57), Ohio State University (56).
Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?
Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.
Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Agricultural Engineering". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.
