Azimuth places the return pillar at the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $79,243, in the 88th percentile.
That is $23,328 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $14,494 less than the model expects for similar students.
That puts the gap at the 9th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,287. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $17,781.
Amherst College sits in the 88th percentile for median graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings sample consists of 269 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled four years after finishing; their median is $79,243.
That amount is $23,328 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The model yields three earnings scenarios: a typical outcome of $79,243, a downside of $55,935, and an upside of $138,381.
These are estimates of how different program clusters might pay, not observed paths for actual graduates. An estimated 43.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix, not observed enrollment.
That figure is not observed enrollment; it reflects what the program mix implies about graduate-school pathways.
Amherst College graduates who are working and not enrolled four years after completion earn a median of $79,243, at the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Against the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), the college sits $23,328 above.
Azimuth ranks the college #233 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $14,494 less than the model expects for similar students.
That places the earnings gap at the 9th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,287.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $17,781. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,475.
Degrees concentrate in Social Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics and Biological Sciences, the three largest fields at the college. Estimated from the program mix, the downside earnings scenario is $55,935 and the upside is $138,381, a wide span between lower-earning and higher-earning clusters.
An estimated 43.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix; the four-year earnings figure captures those who enter the workforce rather than continue in school.
The earnings scenarios show a wide range: from $55,935 on the downside to $138,381 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.
At the upper end, Computer Science graduates earn $142,680 four years after completion, from 55 degrees awarded a year. Economics follows at $141,730, with 91 degrees awarded. Mathematics graduates earn $124,324, from 89 degrees awarded.
Graduates of Amherst College earn about $14,494 less than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 9th percentile, so the earnings picture is mixed: strong raw earnings alongside a shortfall against the model's expectation.
The debt side is lighter. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $13,740 in federal student loans, $11,260 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $156 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $47,598 in Parent PLUS loans.