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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 13 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Strong payoff

+$259,917 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

5.0 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+101%Estimated return after 10 years
$96,752Observed earnings · year 4
$84,380Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0

The price benchmark is $64,979 per year below this threshold.

Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$96,752 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$96,752Typical earnings four years after completion
$97,040Average earnings five years after completion
$23,125Typical federal student debt
92thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
12Degrees awarded in 2024–25
12College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 3 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Nuclear Engineering

How much do Nuclear Engineering bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $96,752 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $23,125. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Nuclear Engineering?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $94,105 to $102,449 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Nuclear Engineering?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 3 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$95,861
Federal debt
$27,000
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$96,752
Federal debt
$23,125
Programs in the comparison
13
12 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$110,980
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
3
3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$146,422
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$94,105National median$96,75275th percentile$102,449
12 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$102,44975th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$23,125Median federal debt across programs that report it
2Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

$116,047 four years after completionChampaign, IL · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Texas A&M University-College Station

$18,471 among completer borrowersCollege Station, TX · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

33 reported awards in 2024–25University Park, PA · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$114,772Observed year-4 earnings$87,239
$12,116Annual college-wide average net price$32,875
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

13 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 13 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$116,0472Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$114,7723Texas A&M University-College Station$103,4384University of Wisconsin-Madison$102,4495North Carolina State University at Raleigh$100,2126The University of Tennessee-Knoxville$99,1397Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$94,3658University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$94,3309Oregon State University$94,10510Oregon State University-Cascades Campus$94,105

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Architectural and Engineering Managers$171,270 median wage220,260 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 14,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$120,810–$262,760 typical wage rangeNuclear Engineers$133,970 median wage15,280 jobs nationwide+0.4% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$92,960–$196,290 typical wage rangeEngineering Teachers, Postsecondary$109,270 median wage40,270 jobs nationwide+7.8% projected growth through 2035 · 3,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$61,550–$210,370 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Mechanical Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$91,131
Federal debt
$24,844
326 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$98,640
Federal debt
$25,000
268 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Civil Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$85,076
Federal debt
$24,667
238 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Computer Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$105,640
Federal debt
$24,500
198 reporting programs →

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.