Graduates of Athens State University earn median 4-year earnings of $52,623, placing Athens State University in the 12.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Athens State University #864 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect a regional public institution where graduates move into stable, in-demand fields with predictable career trajectories and modest but meaningful long-term financial gains. The earnings pattern centers on education and human services fields. Teacher Education is the largest program with 181 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $44,214, performing at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. The Business Administration program graduates 153 students earning $67,349, and the The Accounting program graduates 73 students earning $63,516. These three programs anchor Athens State University's degree output and reflect the institution's focus on Education and related service professions. Graduates typically enter teaching, nursing, social work, and business administration roles — fields where AL employers maintain steady hiring and where early-career earnings align with regional labor-market norms.
Graduates of Athens State University earn median 4-year earnings of $52,623, placing Athens State University in the 12.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Athens State University #864 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect a regional public institution where graduates move into stable, in-demand fields with predictable career trajectories and modest but meaningful long-term financial gains. The earnings pattern centers on education and human services fields. Teacher Education is the largest program with 181 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $44,214, performing at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. The Business Administration program graduates 153 students earning $67,349, and the The Accounting program graduates 73 students earning $63,516. These three programs anchor Athens State University's degree output and reflect the institution's focus on Education and related service professions. Graduates typically enter teaching, nursing, social work, and business administration roles — fields where AL employers maintain steady hiring and where early-career earnings align with regional labor-market norms.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Healthy debt burden. Most graduates can manage $18,051 in debt with typical earnings.
Graduates of Athens State University earn median 4-year earnings of $52,623, placing Athens State University in the 12.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Athens State University #864 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect a regional public institution where graduates move into stable, in-demand fields with predictable career trajectories and modest but meaningful long-term financial gains. The earnings pattern centers on education and human services fields. Teacher Education is the largest program with 181 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $44,214, performing at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. The Business Administration program graduates 153 students earning $67,349, and the The Accounting program graduates 73 students earning $63,516. These three programs anchor Athens State University's degree output and reflect the institution's focus on Education and related service professions. Graduates typically enter teaching, nursing, social work, and business administration roles — fields where AL employers maintain steady hiring and where early-career earnings align with regional labor-market norms.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Athens State University's program mix is anchored in education, business, and applied professional fields — a portfolio aligned with the institution's regional mission as a public comprehensive university. Teacher Education is the largest program with 181 graduates annually, followed by Business Administration, Accounting, General Studies, and Subject-Specific Teacher Education. Across 0 ranked programs serving roughly 723 students annually, several deliver solid four-year earnings outcomes aligned with regional labor-market demand. The earnings pattern reflects the institution's concentration in education and applied fields. Artificial Intelligence leads with median earnings of $102,639 four years after enrollment, followed by Business Administration at $67,349, Accounting at $63,516, General Studies at $55,507, and Human Resources Management and Services at $52,775. These outcomes correspond to the institution's strength in practical, workforce-aligned disciplines where graduates move directly into stable employment in Alabama's regional economy. Education represents the institutional signature, with 36% of graduates, alongside Business at 35% and Arts at 3%. These program families are direct-to-workforce pathways where four-year earnings reflect immediate labor-market outcomes rather than graduate-school-dependent trajectories. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how Athens State University's dominant program families align with regional and national workforce demand.
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Athens State University earn median 4-year earnings of $52,623, placing Athens State University in the 12.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Athens State University #864 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect a regional public institution where graduates move into stable, in-demand fields with predictable career trajectories and modest but meaningful long-term financial gains. The earnings pattern centers on education and human services fields. Teacher Education is the largest program with 181 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $44,214, performing at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. The Business Administration program graduates 153 students earning $67,349, and the The Accounting program graduates 73 students earning $63,516. These three programs anchor Athens State University's degree output and reflect the institution's focus on Education and related service professions. Graduates typically enter teaching, nursing, social work, and business administration roles — fields where AL employers maintain steady hiring and where early-career earnings align with regional labor-market norms.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
