Career outcomes brief
California State University-Sacramento Career Outcomes & Earnings
How much do Sac State graduates earn?
California State University-Sacramento reports median earnings of $64,511 four years after completion. Its lower and higher planning estimates are $52,979 and $92,083.
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
- $52,979
- Median · reported
- $64,511
- Higher estimate
- $92,083
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.
Graduates of California State University-Sacramento earn about $14,073 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 90th 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 $8,479.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $5,594. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,126.
Four years after completion, the median earnings for the university's completers who are working and not enrolled reach $64,511, in the 64th percentile. That figure runs below the peer median of $65,610 by $1,099 among comparable institutions (same type and size).
Azimuth ranks the return at the 72nd percentile nationally.
The earnings scenarios for California State University-Sacramento span a range from $52,979 to $92,083, reflecting the variation in outcomes across the university's program mix. The highest-earning programs anchor the upside scenario.
Nursing completers earn a median of $129,960 four years after completion, while Computer Engineering graduates earn $104,394 and Electrical Engineering graduates earn $103,512.
An estimated 29.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university'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-Sacramento programs with a reported four-year earnings value, the highest medians are: Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($129,960); Computer Engineering ($104,394); Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($103,512); Civil Engineering ($93,973); Mechanical Engineering ($93,878). 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-Sacramento awards bachelor's degrees across 44 fields with published four-year earnings, and Azimuth ranks 41 of them nationally. The highest-earning program is Nursing, where completers earn a median of $129,960 four years after completion, alongside 196 degrees awarded.
Computer Engineering follows at $104,394 with 60 degrees awarded, and Electrical Engineering reaches $103,512 on 94 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management reports median earnings of $67,636 and an Azimuth national rank of #97 on 935 degrees awarded.
Criminal Justice reaches $62,583 and ranks #11 nationally with 568 degrees awarded. Psychology, a moderate-earning field, shows $53,237 and ranks #91 nationally on 607 degrees awarded.
Azimuth ranks 41 of California State University-Sacramento's bachelor's programs nationally, with earnings data published for 44 fields. The university's strongest national showing comes from Geography and Cartography, which holds the #2 spot in its field and ranks #1 in California.
Graduates of that program earn a median of $75,234 four years after completion, with 36 degrees awarded. Among the largest programs, Criminal Justice stands out at #11 nationally and #2 in the state, awarding 568 degrees and showing median earnings of $62,583.
Kinesiology and Physical Education also performs well, ranked #48 nationally with 301 degrees awarded and a median of $59,142. The highest earnings come from Nursing, where the median reaches $129,960 alongside 196 degrees awarded.
Do Sac State graduates earn more than expected?
California State University-Sacramento reports median earnings of $64,511 four years after completion. The reported value is $14,073 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.
- +$8,479
- Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
- +$5,594
- Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
- +$14,073
These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
Further analysis
The highest-earning program, Nursing, reaches $129,960 four years after completion, while among the largest programs Psychology sits at $53,237. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $52,979, a typical outcome of $64,511, and an upside of $92,083, reflecting the wide variation in earnings by field.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of California State University-Sacramento who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $64,511. That figure is based on 8,458 completers.
Among nonprofit four-year institutions, this median sits at the 64th percentile. Graduates earn about $14,073 more than the model expects for similar students.
That result places the university at the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $52,979 on the downside to $92,083 on the upside.
The typical earnings scenario lands at $64,511. An estimated 29.5% 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.
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