Graduate earnings are in line with similar institutions.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
Cal Poly Humboldt graduates experience steady earnings growth from early to mid-career periods. Median earnings increase from $37,382 six years after enrollment to $44,299 at eight years and $47,626 at ten years, representing 27.4% growth between the six-year and ten-year measurement points.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings align with peer institutions — outcomes are in line with similar schools.
Financial justification for the investment.
Healthy debt burden. Most graduates can manage $18,000 in debt with typical earnings.
Cal Poly Humboldt graduates carry median debt of $18,000, ranking at the 79th percentile nationally and $3,105 below peer institutions. Debt ranges from $5,500 at the 25th percentile to $24,300 at the 75th percentile, indicating most students borrow moderate amounts.
Cal Poly Humboldt ranks at the 20.4th percentile for return on investment, reflecting earnings below expectations relative to student characteristics and educational investment. Graduates earn $2,638 less than predicted based on demographics and program mix, placing the university at the 44.7th percentile for earnings lift.
Approximately 26.2% of Cal Poly Humboldt graduates continue to graduate or professional study, based on program mix analysis with high confidence. Th...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering leads institutional earnings at $71,510 with exceptional value scores and #3 national ranking. Computer Science produces similar earnings of $72,511, though with lower value scores due to smaller cohort size.
Forest Management delivers strong outcomes at $51,526 with excellent rankings, while Geochemistry reaches $52,768. These technical programs contrast dramatically with liberal arts fields like Art History ($27,664) and English Literature ($32,524).
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
Earnings distribution spans from $27,312 at the 25th percentile to $69,390 at the 75th percentile, creating a 2.5:1 ratio between top and bottom quartiles. Low-income graduates earn $39,500, reflecting the university's focus on access rather than premium earnings outcomes.
