On the numbers, a Engineering degree either never breaks even against going straight into work, or sits in a high automation-risk bracket. Worth weighing carefully before committing.
Starting salary
£32,400/yr
Salary at 10 years
£53,100/yr
Typical debt at graduation
£69,000
Break-even point
18 yrs post-grad
AI-automation risk
LOW
Degree required to enter field
Not always
Based on DfE LEO 2023–24 median graduate earnings and ONS ASHE 2025 salary data. Assumes Plan 5 student loan, £9,250 tuition/yr, £8,000 maintenance/yr over 4 years. Adjust the calculator below for your own scenario.
Engineering
Your 30-year debt lifecycle and AI-resilience risk, calculated.
For students starting Sept 2023 onward · threshold £25,000 from April 2026 · interest RPI (3.2%) · written off after 40 yrs · gov.uk ↗
Salary assumption
P50 — median graduate earnings from DfE LEO 2023–24
02 — THE VERDICT
RED
Engineering either never breaks even against the alternative path, or sits in a high AI-displacement bracket. Proceed with eyes open.
No degree required to enter this field
Break-even point
18 yrs post-grad
Total borrowed at grad
£69,000
Balance after 20 yrs
£79,122
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03 — SALARY VS. LOAN BALANCE
Yearly gross salary against your loan balance — rising with interest, falling with repayments, until it's cleared or written off.
Y0Y15Y30
Gross salary
Loan balance
Still £61,023 owed at year 30 — written off entirely at year 40 under Plan 5, after paying £142,341 in repayments.
Salary data: DfE LEO 2023–24 median graduate earnings.
04 — YEAR-BY-YEAR BREAKDOWN
The material impact, spelled out: gross salary, take-home after the 9% graduate tax, and what's still owed.
Year
Gross
Take-home
Repayment
Loan balance
Year 0
£32k
£26k
£666
£73k
Year 2
£37k
£29k
£1k
£77k +4%
Year 5
£45k
£34k
£2k
£80k +5%
Year 10
£53k
£39k
£3k
£83k +3%
Year 20
£65k
£45k
£4k
£79k -4%
Year 30
£79k
£51k
£5k
£61k -23%
🔒 Years 10 / 20 / 30 unlock with the full report
05 — DEGREE PATH VS. ALTERNATIVE PATH
Engineering doesn't strictly require a degree to enter. Cumulative net earnings, degree route vs. direct work / apprenticeship — the crossover is the moment the degree route pulls ahead.
Y0Y15Y30
Degree path (cumulative)
Alternative path (cumulative)
Crosses over at year 22 (18 yrs post-grad)
06 — AI-RESILIENCE
LOW RISK
automation exposure for Engineering
Confidence: High. Full driver analysis of task-level automation exposure for this role, sourced from occupational risk modelling.