1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Albany State University](/school/albany-state-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Albany State University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated October 1, 2026 [Overview](/school/albany-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/albany-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/albany-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/albany-state-university/majors/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Albany State University graduates earn? The reported median is $54,096 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$3,205 per year. Among federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after completion is $54,096. That figure sits in the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $57,301, and the gap is $3,205 below that level. The return pillar sits in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,625 more than the model expects for similar students. That result puts the gap at the 75th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,281. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $1,344. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $516. The earnings scenarios range from $40,927 on the downside to $82,106 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates. At the upper end, Nursing graduates earn a median of $87,799 four years after completion, from 92 degrees awarded. Management Information Systems and Services follows at $59,046, though with only 6 degrees awarded a year. Accounting rounds out the top three at $52,363. An estimated 28.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, those continuing their education are outside that earnings snapshot. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $54,096 **Rank for difference from expectations** 75th percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Albany State University reported median** $54,096 **Peer schools comparable schools · $3,205 above Albany State University** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $6,625 below Albany State University** $47,471 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/). ## How could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $40,927 to $82,106, around the reported median of $54,096. Compare the lower scenario with [Albany State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/albany-state-university/cost/) 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** $40,927 **Median · reported** $54,096 **Higher estimate** $82,106 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](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). ## Do Albany State University 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](/methodology/#value-added). Albany State University graduates’ reported earnings are $6,625 above that expectation, the 75th 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 Albany State University caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/). What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$5,281 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** +$1,344 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$6,625 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Albany State University report the highest earnings? The largest programs at Albany State University show a sharp divide between the highest-earning field and the rest. Nursing awards 92 degrees a year and graduates earn a median of $87,799 four years after completion. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the program #187 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. No other large program comes close to that earnings figure. Education, with 91 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $41,282. Azimuth ranks it #6 nationally and #1 in Georgia within its field. Criminal Justice and Business Administration and Management sit in the middle, with earnings of $49,310 and $49,246 respectively. Psychology rounds out the largest programs at $41,153, with Azimuth ranking it #331 nationally. The earnings picture is concentrated: one program accounts for the high end, while the other large fields cluster at more moderate levels. Albany State University has 7 nationally ranked bachelor's programs. The largest program, Nursing, awards 92 degrees a year and is ranked #187 in its field by Azimuth. Its completers earn a median of $87,799 four years after completion, the highest figure of any program at the university. Education is the top-ranked program, at #6 nationally. It awards 91 degrees a year, and completers earn a median of $41,282 four years after completion. The earnings picture varies widely by field. Criminal Justice awards 80 degrees, ranks #175 in its field, and shows median earnings of $49,310. Business Administration and Management awards 55 degrees, ranks #341, and shows median earnings of $49,246. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $87,799 **Management Information Systems and Services** $59,046 **Accounting and Related Services** $52,363 **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods** $51,782 **Marketing** $50,366 **Biology, General** $49,440 **Social Work** $49,331 **Criminal Justice and Corrections** $49,310 [Explore Albany State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/albany-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show how much field of study can matter. The downside earnings scenario is $40,927, the typical scenario is $54,096, and the upside reaches $82,106. That spread is anchored in the largest programs. Nursing graduates earn $87,799 four years after completion, while Psychology—the lowest-earning among the largest—sits at $41,153. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Albany State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $54,096. The earnings cohort includes 948 completers. That figure is $3,205 below the peer median of $57,301 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places that earnings level in the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,625 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that result at the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The program mix yields earnings scenarios of $54,096 typically, $40,927 on the downside and $82,106 on the upside. An estimated 28.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. ## Data & methodology Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/). Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).