Bachelor's · Pasadena, California

Is Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians at Art Center College of Design 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 5.1 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $94,681; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $96,873; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $55,937; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $205k (likely $205k – $287k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $58k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 5.1 years (likely 3.8–7.1); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $110k (likely −$62k – $272k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $683k (likely $386k – $984k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 81%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26