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Career outcomes brief

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# Cedarville University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/cedarville-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/cedarville-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/cedarville-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/cedarville-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/cedarville-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do Cedarville University graduates earn?

The reported median is $60,679 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$7,571 per year.

Affordability is Cedarville University’s strongest pillar, but its return figures are weaker. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $12,859 less than the model expects for similar students, placing [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) in the 13th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,096.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $15,955. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $60,679, in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250; Cedarville University is $7,571 below it. Below-expected earnings and a below-peer median point in the same direction.

Program mix leaves room for markedly different modeled earnings paths. The downside scenario is $43,277, while the upside scenario reaches $88,083; both are earnings scenarios rather than observed graduate groups.

The higher end is illustrated by program medians four years after completion: Computer Science at $109,817, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration at $87,777, and Finance at $86,487. Those field-level figures show why the modeled range is wide.

Graduate study is a consideration when reading four-year earnings at Cedarville University. An estimated 27.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Since the earnings measure covers completers who are working and not enrolled, it does not include those continuing their education.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$60,679

**Rank for difference from expectations**
13th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Cedarville University reported median**
$60,679

**Peer schools comparable schools · $7,571 above Cedarville University**
$68,250

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $12,859 above Cedarville University**
$73,538

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 $43,277 to $88,083, around the reported median of $60,679. Compare the lower scenario with [Cedarville University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/cedarville-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**
$43,277

**Median · reported**
$60,679

**Higher estimate**
$88,083

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 Cedarville 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).

Cedarville University graduates’ reported earnings are $12,859 below that expectation, the 13th 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 Cedarville 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.**
+$3,096

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$15,955

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$12,859

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at Cedarville University report the highest earnings?

At Cedarville University, program earnings differ sharply across fields, so the field chosen matters to the return picture. Computer Science has the highest median earnings, at $109,817 four years after completion, with 24 degrees awarded.

Mechanical Engineering pairs 53 degrees awarded with median earnings of $86,062 at the same point. The larger Nursing program awarded 119 degrees and reports $73,789 in median earnings four years after completion.

At a more moderate level, Teacher Education awarded 42 degrees and shows $43,308. The contrast between these fields shows that program-level earnings vary well beyond the schoolwide picture.

Published program data show a wide earnings range at Cedarville University, with 14 bachelor’s fields carrying earnings data four years after completion. Nursing, the largest listed field, awarded 119 degrees and had median earnings of $73,789.

Mechanical Engineering awarded 53 degrees, with median earnings of $86,062. Design and Applied Arts awarded 45 degrees and showed $51,813 in median earnings.

Teacher Education awarded 42 degrees, with median earnings of $43,308. These field-level figures show variation that the schoolwide median cannot show.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Science**
$109,817

**Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration**
$87,777

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
$86,487

**Mechanical Engineering**
$86,062

**Accounting and Related Services**
$77,937

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$73,789

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$64,395

**Social Work**
$52,471

[Explore Cedarville University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/cedarville-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Field choice makes the modeled range at Cedarville University especially broad. Grounded in its program mix, the downside, typical, and upside earnings scenarios are $43,277, $60,679, and $88,083.

The highest-earning program, Computer Science, reaches $109,817 four years after completion, whereas Communication and Media Studies among the largest programs with published earnings is at $34,958, showing why field matters.

At Cedarville University, the earnings picture is middle-range on the school-level measure, with a less favorable model comparison. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled report median earnings of $60,679 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings level in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 691 completers. The program-mix model sets a typical earnings scenario at $60,679, with downside and upside scenarios of $43,277 and $88,083.

[Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) is also less favorable: Graduates earn about $12,859 less than the model expects for similar students. An estimated 27.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The scenarios show room for different outcomes, but the model comparison remains a caution in the earnings picture.

## 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/).