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Career outcomes brief

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# Auburn University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/auburn-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/auburn-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/auburn-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/auburn-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/auburn-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do Auburn University graduates earn?

The reported median is $73,151 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $7,541 per year.

At Auburn University, the return picture is mixed: Azimuth places its return pillar in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,109 less than the model expects for similar students.

That earnings-beyond-expectations result, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 32nd 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 $14,567.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $20,676. Four years after completion, median earnings are $73,151, in the 81st percentile.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, leaving the university $7,541 above it.

Earnings vary substantially by program mix: earnings scenarios range from $50,796 on the downside to $94,907 on the upside, with $73,151 as the typical scenario. These are earnings scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

The upper end includes Computer Engineering at $110,927 four years after completion, Chemical Engineering at $106,726, and Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering at $102,756. Program choice therefore matters within the wider modeled range.

Graduate study is part of how to read four-year earnings: an estimated 28.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, those continuing their education are outside that earnings snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$73,151

**Rank for difference from expectations**
32nd percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Auburn University reported median**
$73,151

**Peer schools comparable schools · $7,541 below Auburn University**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $6,109 above Auburn University**
$79,260

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 $50,796 to $94,907, around the reported median of $73,151. Compare the lower scenario with [Auburn University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/auburn-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**
$50,796

**Median · reported**
$73,151

**Higher estimate**
$94,907

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 Auburn 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).

Auburn University graduates’ reported earnings are $6,109 below that expectation, the 32nd 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 Auburn 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.**
+$14,567

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$20,676

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$6,109

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at Auburn University report the highest earnings?

Auburn University shows a wide program-level earnings range, with engineering at the higher end and natural sciences and design fields at more moderate levels. Architectural Engineering had median earnings of $97,759 four years after completion and 138 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #1 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management posted $54,449 with 35 degrees awarded, ranking #2 nationally by Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. At the more moderate end, Environmental Design recorded $62,697 and 27 degrees awarded; Azimuth places it #3 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Apparel and Textiles showed $62,807 with 94 degrees awarded and an Azimuth rank of #8 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The figures show that a strong field rank can accompany distinctly different earnings levels across programs.

Auburn University has 45 nationally ranked bachelor’s fields, with rankings that range from engineering to natural resources and design. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Architectural Engineering #1 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions; it awarded 138 degrees and its completers had median earnings of $97,759 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management #2 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 35 degrees awarded and median earnings of $54,449 four years after completion. Environmental Design ranks #3 nationally in Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions, awarded 27 degrees, and shows $62,697 in median earnings four years after completion.

These ranked fields show that strong national placements occur across programs with markedly different earnings levels.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Engineering**
$110,927

**Chemical Engineering**
$106,726

**Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering**
$102,756

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$99,799

**Industrial Engineering**
$99,441

**Architectural Engineering**
$97,759

**Mechanical Engineering**
$93,246

**Computer and Information Sciences, General**
$91,087

[Explore Auburn University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/auburn-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

At Auburn University, earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from a downside of $50,796 to a typical outcome of $73,151 and an upside of $94,907. Computer Engineering sits at the high end with $110,927 four years after completion; Marketing, the lowest-earning large program, stands at $74,702. The range shows that earnings vary substantially by field.

For Auburn University, median earnings reach $73,151 four years after completion among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 4,129 completers.

This is a broad institutional measure rather than a program-specific result. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix put typical earnings at $73,151, with a downside scenario of $50,796 and an upside scenario of $94,907.

An estimated 28.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The scenario range gives a useful starting point for comparing outcomes across fields.

## 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/).