Bachelor's · Southfield, Michigan

Is Civil Engineering at Lawrence Technological University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 3.9 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $84,671; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $89,465; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $28,750; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $142k (likely $142k – $198k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $54k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in MI; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 3.9 years (likely 2.7–5.8); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $181k (likely −$3k – $394k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $754k (likely $404k – $1.16M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 60%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26