Graduate earnings are in line with similar institutions.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
Alcorn State graduates demonstrate steady earnings growth over their post-college careers. Median earnings increase from $27,752 six years after enrollment to $32,667 at eight years and $36,421 at ten years, representing 31.2% growth between the six-year and ten-year marks.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings fall below the peer average for similar institutions.
Financial justification for the investment.
Moderate debt load. Repaying $27,000 requires planning but is achievable.
Median student debt reaches $27,000 upon graduation, substantially higher than the peer median of $21,105, creating a concerning $5,895 debt disadvantage. Debt levels span from $7,685 at the 25th percentile to $33,500 at the 75th percentile, indicating significant variation in borrowing patterns among graduates.
Alcorn State's return index ranks modestly below average at the 16.8th percentile, reflecting constrained long-term earnings relative to educational investment. Graduates earn $3,699 below expectations compared to similar students nationally, placing the university in the 39th percentile for earnings uplift.
Approximately 20.4% of graduates continue to graduate or professional study, based on program mix analysis with low confidence. This continuation rat...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Program-level earnings reveal where Alcorn State delivers strongest return performance. Adult Health Nurse/Nursing graduates earn $72,321, nearly double the institutional median, while agricultural programs produce graduates earning $53,012 (Agribusiness) and $37,771 (Agriculture, General).
These professional and technical programs demonstrate the university's capacity to deliver strong outcomes in specialized fields. In contrast, General Studies graduates earn $26,269, Business Administration graduates earn $29,482, and Communications graduates earn $27,087, clustering below $30,000 annually.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
The earnings distribution reveals significant variation in graduate outcomes, with the 25th to 75th percentile spread ranging from $19,114 to $56,491, a 3.0:1 ratio. Low-income graduates earn $31,400, indicating that the institution provides pathways to middle-class earnings for students from challenging economic backgrounds.
