1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Bemidji State University](/school/bemidji-state-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Bemidji State University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/bemidji-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/bemidji-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/bemidji-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/bemidji-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/bemidji-state-university/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Bemidji State University graduates earn? The reported median is $60,307 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $3,006 per year. Affordability is the clearer pillar: Azimuth places Bemidji State University in the 81st percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Its return pillar is in the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $7,538 less than the model expects for similar students. That earnings-beyond-expectations result is in the 27th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,255. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $13,793. Median earnings are $60,307 four years after completion, in the 52nd percentile. That is $3,006 above the peer median of $57,301, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). The return picture is mixed: earnings sit above the peer median but below the model’s expectation. Program choice matters because earnings scenarios show a wide range at Bemidji State University. The downside earnings scenario is $46,809, the typical scenario is $60,307, and the upside scenario is $81,062. These are earnings scenarios based on the program mix, rather than observed groups. Among higher-earning fields, Engineering Technologies/Technicians has median earnings of $90,868 four years after completion, Nursing has $84,436, and Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians has $76,882. Some of these field medians sit above the upside scenario, showing that individual field results and schoolwide scenarios answer different questions. An estimated 29.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so the median does not describe graduates who continue directly into further study. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $60,307 **Rank for difference from expectations** 26th percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Bemidji State University reported median** $60,307 **Peer schools comparable schools · $3,006 below Bemidji State University** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $7,538 above Bemidji State University** $67,845 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 $46,809 to $81,062, around the reported median of $60,307. Compare the lower scenario with [Bemidji State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/bemidji-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** $46,809 **Median · reported** $60,307 **Higher estimate** $81,062 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 Bemidji 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). Bemidji State University graduates’ reported earnings are $7,538 below that expectation, the 26th 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 Bemidji 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.** +$6,255 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$13,793 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$7,538 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Bemidji State University report the highest earnings? Program-level earnings vary by field, with Nursing among the larger programs and at the higher end. Its completers have median earnings of $84,436 four years after completion, and the program awarded 127 degrees in one academic year. Engineering Technologies/Technicians posts $90,868 with 22 degrees awarded, pairing the highest figure here with a smaller award count. At the more moderate end, Psychology reports median earnings of $49,116 four years after completion and awarded 98 degrees. Teacher Education comes in lower at $44,719, with 88 degrees awarded. The larger programs include both higher- and moderate-earning fields. Program choice shapes the earnings picture at Bemidji State University. Published median earnings are available for 17 fields, measured four years after completion. Engineering Technologies/Technicians is the highest-earning reported field, with 22 degrees awarded and median earnings of $90,868. Nursing pairs 127 degrees awarded with median earnings of $84,436. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians awarded 19 degrees and has median earnings of $76,882 four years after completion. Accounting awarded 56 degrees, with median earnings of $72,153. Business Administration and Management awarded 168 degrees and reports median earnings of $64,086. The range across these published medians makes field choice central to the earnings picture. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General** $90,868 **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $84,436 **Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians** $76,882 **Accounting and Related Services** $72,153 **Business Administration, Management and Operations** $64,086 **Criminal Justice and Corrections** $58,519 **Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness** $57,357 **Social Work** $56,345 [Explore Bemidji State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/bemidji-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Field choice shapes the modeled earnings range at Bemidji State University. Scenarios grounded in its program mix put the downside at $46,809, the typical case at $60,307, and the upside at $81,062. Engineering Technologies/Technicians reaches $90,868 four years after completion, whereas Teacher Education posts $44,719, showing substantial variation by field. Bemidji State University graduates who received federal aid and are working four years after completion earn a median of $60,307. That result is drawn from a cohort of 1,282 completers. It sits at the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. It is $3,006 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Federal aid recipients who graduate earn about $7,538 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix stretch from a downside of $46,809 to an upside of $81,062, with the typical scenario at $60,307. An estimated 29.4% 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/).