1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Arkansas State University](/school/arkansas-state-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Arkansas State University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/arkansas-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/arkansas-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/arkansas-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/arkansas-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/arkansas-state-university/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Arkansas State University graduates earn? The reported median is $56,631 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$670 per year. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 45th 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 $56,631. That is $670 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $1,588 less than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap in the 49th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,929. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $5,517. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $774. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, run from a downside of $42,704 to an upside of $79,001. The typical earnings scenario is $56,631. At the higher end, Mechanical Engineering graduates earn $91,665 four years after completion, from 19 degrees awarded. Nursing follows at $88,611, with 200 degrees awarded. The highest program medians exceed even the upside scenario. An estimated 29.0% 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** $56,631 **Rank for difference from expectations** 49th percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Arkansas State University reported median** $56,631 **Peer schools comparable schools · $670 above Arkansas State University** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $1,588 above Arkansas State University** $58,219 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 many Arkansas State University students return and finish their degrees? First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2024-25 **Completed within six years** 52.8% **Pell recipients completed within six years** 41.0% Source: Arkansas State University Common Data Set 2024-25, B4–B11 six-year completion. ## How could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $42,704 to $79,001, around the reported median of $56,631. Compare the lower scenario with [Arkansas State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/arkansas-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** $42,704 **Median · reported** $56,631 **Higher estimate** $79,001 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 Arkansas 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). Arkansas State University graduates’ reported earnings are $1,588 below that expectation, the 49th 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 Arkansas 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.** +$3,929 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$5,517 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$1,588 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Arkansas State University report the highest earnings? The earnings picture at Arkansas State University is split between a handful of well-paying technical programs and a larger set of fields with more moderate outcomes. Mechanical Engineering leads at $91,665, but has just 19 degrees awarded a year. Nursing is the high-earning program with real scale: 200 degrees awarded and median earnings of $88,611, right at the national median for the field. Computer and Information Sciences sits in the middle at $79,309, with 20 degrees awarded. The largest program, Liberal Arts and General Studies, awards 201 degrees and posts median earnings of $43,733. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #153 nationally within its field. The spread from the largest program to the highest-earning one is wide, and a student's path through the university matters a great deal for what they earn four years out. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 23 program nationally at Arkansas State University. Health Professions accounts for 18.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 15.2% and Liberal Arts & General Studies at 11.7%. The largest single program is Liberal Arts and General Studies, at 201 degrees a year. Azimuth ranks it #153 within its field and #2 in Arkansas. Graduates earn a median of $43,733 four years after completion. Mechanical Engineering graduates earn a median of $91,665 four years after completion, from 19 degrees a year. Nursing graduates earn $88,611 four years after completion from 200 degrees awarded. Civil Engineering graduates earn $83,270 four years after completion from 12 degrees a year. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Mechanical Engineering** $91,665 **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $88,611 **Civil Engineering** $83,270 **Computer and Information Sciences, General** $79,309 **Finance and Financial Management Services** $68,408 **Accounting and Related Services** $67,944 **Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions** $63,340 **Plant Sciences** $61,397 [Explore Arkansas State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/arkansas-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a downside of $42,704, a typical outcome of $56,631, and an upside of $79,001. The spread reflects the variation by field: Mechanical Engineering graduates reach $91,665 four years out, while Teacher Education sits at $41,947 among the largest programs. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after completion at Arkansas State University is $56,631. That median sits $670 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), $57,301. The figure falls at the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, drawn from an earnings cohort of 3,054 completers. Graduates earn about $1,588 less than the model expects for similar students. That result falls at the 49th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $42,704 on the downside to $79,001 on the upside, with typical earnings at $56,631. An estimated 29.0% 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/).