Career outcomes brief

Austin Peay State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

How much do Austin Peay State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $52,456 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is -$4,845 per year.

Four years after graduating, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled report median earnings of $52,456. That is in the 25th percentile.

The university sits $4,845 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Return is the weakest of the four , at the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Federally aided completers earn about $2,287 less than expects for similar students. That result sits at the 47th 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 $3,352. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $5,639. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $211.

The earnings scenarios show a wide spread between the downside and upside: $41,712 on one end and $75,537 on the other. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, Engineering Technologies/Technicians graduates earn $79,309 four years after completion, from 44 degrees awarded. Computer and Information Sciences follows at $77,125, and Computer Systems Analysis at $76,824.

An estimated 26.2% 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: $52,456
Rank for difference from expectations: 47th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Austin Peay State University reported median: $52,456
Peer schools comparable schools · $4,845 above Austin Peay State University: $57,301
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $2,287 above Austin Peay State University: $54,743

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.

How many Austin Peay State University first-year students return?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

Returned the following fall: 72.0%

Source: Austin Peay State University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $41,712
Median · reported: $52,456
Higher estimate: $75,537

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 explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Austin Peay 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.

Austin Peay State University graduates’ reported earnings are $2,287 below that expectation, the 47th 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 Austin Peay State University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Austin Peay State University report the highest earnings?

The highest-earning programs at Austin Peay State University are concentrated in technical and health fields, and they are not the largest programs by degrees awarded. Engineering Technologies/Technicians leads with median earnings of $79,309 four years after completion, from 44 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks it #10 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Computer Systems Analysis and Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions follow closely, at $76,824 and $75,261 respectively.

Both are small programs, with 36 and 78 degrees awarded. Their national ranks are strong: #4 and #15 in their fields.

The largest program, Nursing, awards 165 degrees a year and posts median earnings of $73,564. That is a solid figure, though it sits below the technical programs.

At the more moderate end, Kinesiology and Physical Education awards 162 degrees and its graduates earn $45,080, a gap of over $30,000 from the top-earning field.

Austin Peay State University has 20 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, and the strongest of them sit in health and technology fields. Computer Systems Analysis is the highest-ranked, at #4 nationally and #1 in Tennessee, with 36 degrees awarded and median earnings of $76,824 four years after completion.

Engineering Technologies/Technicians follows at #10 nationally, with 44 degrees awarded and median earnings of $79,309. Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions ranks #15 nationally, awarded 78 degrees, and its completers earn a median of $75,261.

The largest program is Nursing, with 165 degrees awarded and median earnings of $73,564. Kinesiology and Physical Education and Liberal Arts and General Studies are also large, at 162 and 134 degrees, though their earnings run lower.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General: $79,309
Computer and Information Sciences, General: $77,125
Computer Systems Analysis: $76,824
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions: $75,261
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing: $73,564
Finance and Financial Management Services: $71,567
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions: $64,110
Accounting and Related Services: $58,409

Explore Austin Peay State University program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from a downside of $41,712 to a typical $52,456 and an upside of $75,537. The spread shows that earnings vary substantially by field.

At the high end, Engineering Technologies/Technicians graduates earn $79,309 four years after completion. Among the largest programs, Psychology sits at the lower end at $41,303.

Four years after completing a degree, Austin Peay State University graduates earn a median of $52,456. The figure comes from a cohort of 1,769 completers in the four-year earnings cohort.

Azimuth places that earnings measure at the 25th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. It is $4,845 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $2,287 less than the model expects for similar students. That result is at the 47th percentile.

Estimated earnings scenarios from the program mix range from $41,712 to $75,537, with the typical scenario matching that median. An estimated 26.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, 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.