Career outcomes brief
California State University-Fullerton Career Outcomes & Earnings
How much do CSU Fullerton graduates earn?
California State University-Fullerton reports median earnings of $63,753 four years after completion. Its lower and higher planning estimates are $47,577 and $86,944.
The lower and higher estimates reflect different mixes of program earnings. They are not observed salary percentiles, the pay of the lowest- and highest-paid quarters of graduates, or probabilities for an individual student.
- Lower estimate
- $47,577
- Median · reported
- $63,753
- Higher estimate
- $86,944
Earnings sources and definitions
The lower estimate lets you examine a plan with less income than the school-wide median. Compare it with costs and with the fields you are considering, while keeping the modeled estimates separate from reported earnings.
Azimuth ranks the return for California State University-Fullerton at the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $13,048 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 89th percentile nationally.
The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,742. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $5,306.
Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $675. Four years after completion, the median earnings among working graduates stand at $63,753, in the 62nd percentile nationally.
That figure is below the median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,857.
The earnings scenarios at California State University-Fullerton span from a downside of $47,577 to an upside of $86,944 four years after completion, with the typical scenario at $63,753. That range shows the variation in earnings across the university's 37 programs with published data.
The highest-earning programs show where the upside concentrates. Nursing completers earn a median of $119,353 (432 degrees awarded), followed by Computer Engineering at $101,408 and Civil Engineering at $95,854.
The largest program, Business Administration and Management, awards 2,233 degrees and posts a median of $71,646.
An estimated 27.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the institution's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.
Earnings by field
Among California State University-Fullerton programs with a reported four-year earnings value, the highest medians are: Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($119,353); Computer Engineering ($101,408); Civil Engineering ($95,854); Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($92,618); Computer Science ($87,460). These are earnings after completion for the covered cohort.
A program median describes the middle reported outcome in that group. It is not a starting-salary offer or a prediction for every graduate, and an earnings comparison does not by itself explain why fields differ.
Compare these results with the subjects you want to study and the program’s reported award count. Awards measure degree output, not the number of people in the earnings sample.
California State University-Fullerton fields 32 nationally ranked bachelor's programs. The highest-earning among the largest program with published earnings is Nursing, where completers earn a median of $119,353 four years after completion, with 432 degrees awarded.
Business Administration and Management, the university's largest program at 2,233 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $71,646 and an Azimuth national rank of #49 in its field. In a more moderate band, Psychology and Kinesiology and Physical Education show medians of $51,661 and $51,787, with Azimuth national ranks of #96 and #83 respectively.
Communication and Media Studies sits between the two clusters at $58,082 and a national rank of #55, with 645 degrees awarded.
California State University-Fullerton offers 32 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, with earnings data available for 37 programs. The largest program, Business Administration and Management, awarded 2,233 degrees and holds a national rank of #49, with graduates earning a median of $71,646 four years after completion.
Nursing is the highest-earning large program, with a median of $119,353 and 432 degrees awarded. Public Administration is the university's best nationally ranked program at #7, with 36 degrees awarded and median earnings of $68,497. Psychology awarded 890 degrees and ranks #96 nationally.
Explore CSU Fullerton earnings by field · Cost and borrowing
Do CSU Fullerton graduates earn more than expected?
California State University-Fullerton reports median earnings of $63,753 four years after completion. The reported value is $13,048 above Azimuth’s statistical expectation for the institution.
The difference compares the reported outcome with a model estimate. It does not compare matched students who attended different colleges, and it does not establish how much the institution caused earnings to change.
Read this measure alongside completion and individual program outcomes. It describes an institution-level result; it does not predict what a particular student will earn.
Read the original article: A value-added approach to college outcomes
- Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
- +$7,742
- Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
- +$5,306
- Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
- +$13,048
These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
Further analysis
Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show a downside of $47,577, a typical outcome of $63,753, and an upside of $86,944. The range reflects how much field of study matters: Nursing, the highest-earning program, reaches $119,353, while among the largest programs Psychology sits at $51,661.
Four years after completion, the median earnings of California State University-Fullerton graduates stand at $63,753, drawn from a cohort of 10,790 completers. That median is below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,857, and it places the university in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $13,048 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 89th percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical outcome of $63,753, with a downside scenario of $47,577 and an upside scenario of $86,944.
An estimate derived from program mix suggests that 27.9% of programs' graduates continue to graduate study.
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.
Four-year earnings are measured after completion for the covered federally aided cohort of people working and not enrolled. Measures taken six, eight or ten years after entry use a different starting point and should not be treated as one graduating class followed over time.
Program award counts describe credentials awarded, not current enrollment, unique graduates or earnings-sample size. Reporting periods differ across measures; the shared field definitions do not establish the exact vintage of every school-level value.
College Scorecard data and documentation · Model methodology