College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do MIT graduates earn?

The reported median is $161,961 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $93,711 per year.

Azimuth places Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the 99th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $161,961, at the 99th percentile nationally.

That is $93,711 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $63,143 more than expects for similar students, placing that gap at the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $14,996. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $48,147. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $12,149.

The earnings scenarios at Massachusetts Institute of Technology show a wide range four years after completion, from a downside of $80,087 to an upside of $225,141. That spread reflects the variation in outcomes across the university's program mix.

The highest-earning programs illustrate the upper end of that range. Computer Science completers earn a median of $225,141, Mathematics graduates reach $174,951, and Electrical Engineering completers earn a median of $161,118.

An estimated 28.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$161,961
Rank for difference from expectations
99th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
MIT reported median
$161,961
Peer schools comparable schools · $93,711 below MIT
$68,250
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $63,143 below MIT
$98,818

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How many MIT students return and finish their degrees?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26
Completed within six years
96.0%
Pell recipients completed within six years
91.0%

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Common Data Set 2025-26, B4–B11 six-year completion.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $80,087 to $225,141, around the reported median of $161,961. Compare the lower scenario with MIT borrowing and monthly payments to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion
Planning rangeReported median
Lower estimate
$80,087
Median · reported
$161,961
Higher estimate
$225,141

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do MIT graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

MIT graduates’ reported earnings are $63,143 above that expectation, the 99th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending MIT caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$14,996
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$48,147
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$63,143

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at MIT report the highest earnings?

The earnings spread across Massachusetts Institute of Technology's largest programs is wide, but every one sits well above the national median for its field. Computer Science, the largest program at 384 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $225,141 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #2 nationally within its field. Mechanical Engineering, with 142 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $131,967, and Azimuth ranks the program #1 in its field.

Mathematics posts $174,951 on 126 degrees awarded, at 2.52x the national field median. At the lower end of the range, Physics, with 67 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $131,025 — still 1.71x the national benchmark for the field.

The variation is in how far above the norm each field runs, not in any program falling short.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology has 8 nationally ranked bachelor's programs and 9 programs with published four-year earnings data. The largest program, Computer Science, awarded 384 degrees and holds an Azimuth national rank of #2 within its field, with a median of $225,141 four years after completion.

Mechanical Engineering ranks #1 nationally and #1 in Massachusetts, with 142 degrees awarded and median earnings of $131,967. Mathematics awarded 126 degrees and its completers earn a median of $174,951 four years after completion.

Electrical Engineering and Physics round out the largest programs with published earnings, with 73 and 67 degrees awarded and median earnings of $161,118 and $131,025, respectively.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer Science
$225,141
Mathematics
$174,951
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$161,118
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
$147,998
Mechanical Engineering
$131,967
Physics
$131,025
Chemical Engineering
$122,093
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
$114,620

Explore MIT program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $80,087, a typical outcome of $161,961, and an upside of $225,141. The spread reflects variation by field of study: among the largest programs with published earnings, Computer Science reaches $225,141 while Physics sits at $131,025, a gap that illustrates how program choice coincides with different earnings levels.

Four years after completion, the median earnings of Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates stand at $161,961, a figure in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings cohort includes 1,083 completers.

That median is above the $68,250 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $93,711. Graduates earn about $63,143 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 99th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, which reflect the university's program mix, point to a typical outcome of $161,961, with a downside scenario of $80,087 and an upside scenario of $225,141. An estimated 28.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a share derived from program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.