Bachelor's · Ithaca, New York
Is Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering at Cornell University worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 2.1 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $118,805
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $158,155
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $12,750
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $144k (likely $144k – $144k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $120k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in NY
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 2.1 years (likely 1.9–2.5)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $829k (likely $668k – $997k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $2.22M (likely $1.85M – $2.63M)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 95%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Change income, residency or loans Compare Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering at other schools
Other majors at Cornell University
- Law (Doctoral)$259,851
- Computer Science (Master's)$235,762
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$226,632
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$223,309
- Operations Research (Master's)$203,340
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's)$196,882
- Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's)$163,586
- Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's)$161,226
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$156,103
- Human Resources Management and Services (Master's)$155,909
- Operations Research (Bachelor's)$151,709
- Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor's)$145,218
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering at other schools in New York
- Columbia University in the City of New York$143,332
- The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art$139,068
- SUNY Maritime College$107,749
- New York University$107,348
- University of Rochester$105,183
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$104,596
- Manhattan University$100,884
- New York Institute of Technology$99,480
- Binghamton University$99,397
- Stony Brook University$98,573