Best Industrial Engineering Programs in the Midwest (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the Midwest
Regional list from Industrial Engineering Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 30 Industrial Engineering programs in the Midwest by the median earnings of Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. Northwestern University leads the list with median earnings of $138,720 for its graduates four years after completing, followed by University of Michigan-Ann Arbor at $117,930 and University of Wisconsin-Madison at $110,711.
Across the listed schools, the median figure is $92,560, with a range from $63,005 to $138,720.
Public institutions account for 25 of the 30 programs, or 83% of the list. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 16th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Oakland University posts the lowest average net price at $9,120, while Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has the highest admission rate, admitting 98% of applicants.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern University · Evanston, IL | $138,720 | $29,167 | $1,764 | 7.7% |
| Northwestern University reports $138,720 in median earnings of Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 8%. | |||||
| 2 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $117,930 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 2nd on this list, with median earnings of $117,930 four years after completing, and posts an average net price of $13,138. | |||||
| 3 | University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI | $110,711 | $17,354 | $4,200 | 45.2% |
| Graduates of University of Wisconsin-Madison's Industrial Engineering program earned a median of $110,711 four years after completing, and the school admits 45% of applicants. | |||||
| 4 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $107,031 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
| Purdue University-Main Campus shows median federal debt of $18,357 among Industrial Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside earnings of $107,031 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH | $106,932 | $17,339 | $4,885 | 60.6% |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus ranks 5th on this list and its Industrial Engineering graduates earned a median of $106,932 four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $103,143 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports $103,143 in median earnings of Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $14,355. | |||||
| 7 | Oakland University · Rochester Hills, MI | $102,222 | $9,120 | $4,422 | 87.8% |
| Oakland University ranks 7th on this list, with median earnings of $102,222 four years after completing, and holds the lowest average net price on the page at $9,120. | |||||
| 8 | Wayne State University · Detroit, MI | $101,990 | $12,766 | $11,090 | 81.2% |
| An admission rate of 81% coincides with median earnings of $101,990 four years after completing for Wayne State University's Industrial Engineering graduates. | |||||
| 9 | University of Missouri-Columbia · Columbia, MO | $101,380 | $20,268 | $13,841 | 78.5% |
| University of Missouri-Columbia shows median federal debt of $26,512 among Industrial Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside earnings of $101,380 four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | Ohio University-Main Campus · Athens, OH | $99,364 | $21,637 | $15,673 | 85.0% |
| Ohio University-Main Campus ranks 10th on this list and its Industrial Engineering graduates earned a median of $99,364 four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | University of Minnesota-Duluth · Duluth, MN | $97,732 | $18,743 | $7,256 | 88.8% |
| University of Minnesota-Duluth reports $97,732 in median earnings of Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $18,743. | |||||
| 12 | University of Iowa · Iowa City, IA | $95,347 | $22,531 | $15,316 | 83.6% |
| With a median of $95,347 four years after completing, University of Iowa's Industrial Engineering graduates also see an admission rate of 84%. | |||||
| 13 | Kansas State University · Manhattan, KS | $93,098 | $19,406 | $13,178 | 81.7% |
| Kansas State University reports median earnings of $93,098 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $19,406. | |||||
| 14 | Iowa State University · Ames, IA | $92,914 | $18,589 | $10,582 | 88.7% |
| Iowa State University admits 89% of applicants and its Industrial Engineering graduates earned a median of $92,914 four years after completing. | |||||
| 15 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · Rapid City, SD | $92,815 | $20,183 | $15,348 | 79.9% |
| With a cohort of 27 graduates in the earnings cohort, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology posts median earnings of $92,815 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | Western Michigan University · Kalamazoo, MI | $92,306 | $15,273 | $5,263 | 84.6% |
| Western Michigan University ranks 16th on this list, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $26,188 in federal loans. | |||||
| 17 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN | $92,241 | $16,778 | $6,642 | 79.8% |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities sits 107th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $92,241 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | Bradley University · Peoria, IL | $89,362 | $22,719 | $17,269 | 76.8% |
| A private nonprofit university in Peoria, Bradley University shows an average net price of $22,719 and median earnings of $89,362 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville · Platteville, WI | $88,918 | $16,032 | $9,009 | 89.4% |
| University of Wisconsin-Platteville reports median federal debt of $27,275 among Industrial Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $88,918 four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | Milwaukee School of Engineering · Milwaukee, WI | $87,279 | $22,453 | $11,607 | 58.9% |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering admits 59% of applicants and its Industrial Engineering graduates earned a median of $87,279 four years after completing. | |||||
| 21 | Youngstown State University · Youngstown, OH | $86,340 | $12,767 | $9,328 | 84.5% |
| Youngstown State University carries an average net price of $12,767 and reports median earnings of $86,340 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | Kettering University · Flint, MI | $86,265 | $34,660 | $24,910 | 78.7% |
| Kettering University ranks 22nd on this list, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $27,000 in federal loans. | |||||
| 23 | University of Illinois Chicago · Chicago, IL | $86,202 | $10,974 | $7,529 | 77.4% |
| University of Illinois Chicago sits 17th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $86,202 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 24 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus · Fargo, ND | $84,016 | $15,543 | $9,370 | 95.0% |
| North Dakota State University-Main Campus admits 95% of applicants and its Industrial Engineering graduates earned a median of $84,016 four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee · Milwaukee, WI | $82,763 | $15,014 | $10,329 | 90.7% |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee reports median earnings of $82,763 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $10,329 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 26 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville · Edwardsville, IL | $82,744 | $14,889 | $8,483 | 97.5% |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville admits 98% of applicants and its Industrial Engineering graduates earn a median of $82,744 four years after completing. | |||||
| 27 | Northern Illinois University · Dekalb, IL | $82,584 | $13,391 | $10,126 | 69.8% |
| Northern Illinois University ranks 27th on this list, and its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing earn a median of $82,584. | |||||
| 28 | Kent State University at Kent · Kent, OH | $72,958 | $20,787 | $15,280 | 86.3% |
| Kent State University at Kent ranks 28th on this list, with median earnings of $72,958 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $20,787. | |||||
| 29 | Wichita State University · Wichita, KS | $63,005 | $13,194 | $9,734 | 94.0% |
| Wichita State University, a public university in Wichita, reports median earnings of $63,005 for its Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $9,734 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 30 | Saint Ambrose University · Davenport, IA | $63,005 | $24,691 | $22,037 | 77.3% |
| Saint Ambrose University ranks 30th on this list and holds an Azimuth composite rank of 765th among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Industrial Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the Midwest appear. The figure covers federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. For 2 of the 30 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range from Northwestern University at $138,720 to the bottom of the list at $63,005 spans $75,715, with a gap of $20,790 between Northwestern University and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Job market context in the Midwest
Industrial Engineering graduates in the Midwest enter occupations such as Industrial Engineers, where the median annual wage across those roles is $100,099. A quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $81,744, a figure closer to what graduates might see four years after completing. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 5.6% higher, with 17,030 projected openings a year and about 1,023 openings a year for every hundred graduates, meaning more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings, not these occupational market figures, and the two are not the same measure.