Return is the weakest of the four pillars for California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt, at the 23rd percentile. Graduates earn about $507 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.
That places the gap at the 57th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $1,371.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $1,878. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $51,571, in the 22nd percentile.
That is $5,730 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Four years after completion, federally aided completers from California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $51,571, based on a cohort of 2,165 completers. That figure sits below the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university at the 22nd percentile nationally.
Graduates earn about $507 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical outcome matching the observed median, with a downside scenario of $40,093 and an upside scenario reaching $65,121.
An estimated 35.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The earnings picture is mixed: the median sits below the peer benchmark, yet the typical scenario aligns with the model's expectation for similar students.
Graduates of California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt earn a median of $51,571 four years after completion. That figure sits below the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,730.
Graduates earn about $507 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, a result in the 57th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $1,371.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $1,878. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,656.
Azimuth ranks the university #1,136 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $40,093 and an upside of $65,121.
The largest program, Psychology, awarded 143 degrees and shows median earnings of $45,889, or 0.91x the national median for the field. Natural Resources Conservation and Research is nearly as large, with 141 degrees awarded and earnings of $50,915 (0.93x the national median).
The highest-earning program is Forestry, which awarded 34 degrees and shows a median of $79,849 four years after completion, or 1.36x the national median for the field. Forestry is the university's best nationally ranked program, sitting at #2 in its field and #1 in California. The program awarded 34 degrees and its graduates earn a median of $79,849.
The spread between the downside and upside earnings scenarios at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt reflects the variation across the university's 29 programs with published data. Four years after completion, the downside earnings scenario is $40,093 and the upside scenario reaches $65,121.
The highest-earning programs show what the upper end of that range looks like. Forestry completers earn a median of $79,849, while Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates reach $78,225 and Computer Science graduates earn $74,620.
Affordability is the strongest pillar at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt, and the debt figures bear that out. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $18,000 in federal student loans, which is $3,229 below the peer median of $21,229 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
If repaid over ten years, that debt brings an estimated payment of $205 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $18,257 in Parent PLUS loans.
The earnings picture is more mixed. Four years after completion, the median is $51,571, which is $5,730 below the peer median.
Graduates earn about $507 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. The return is modest, but the debt load is lighter than at comparable schools.