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Career outcomes brief

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# Central Michigan University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do Central Michigan University graduates earn?

The reported median is $61,298 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$4,312 per year.

Central Michigan University graduates earn a median of $61,298 four years after completion, at the 55th percentile nationally. That is $4,312 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the return pillar in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $173 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

That places the gap at the 55th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,161. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,988.

The downside earnings scenario, estimated from the program mix, is $47,156, while the upside scenario reaches $79,617. These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, Management Information Systems and Services graduates report median earnings of $95,721 four years after completion, from 54 degrees awarded. Electrical Engineering follows at $91,542, and Computer Science at $89,216. Reported earnings vary widely by program.

Graduate-school continuation at Central Michigan University is estimated at 28.4%, a figure drawn from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings reflect only completers who are working and not enrolled, graduates who pursue advanced degrees are not captured in that earnings snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$61,298

**Rank for difference from expectations**
55th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Central Michigan University reported median**
$61,298

**Peer schools comparable schools · $4,312 above Central Michigan University**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $173 below Central Michigan University**
$61,125

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 many Central Michigan University students return and finish their degrees?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

**Returned the following fall**
79.0%

**Completed within six years**
59.1%

**Pell recipients completed within six years**
45.0%

Source: Central Michigan University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention; B4–B11 six-year completion. Retention and completion follow different entering cohorts.

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $47,156 to $79,617, around the reported median of $61,298. Compare the lower scenario with [Central Michigan University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/central-michigan-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**
$47,156

**Median · reported**
$61,298

**Higher estimate**
$79,617

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 Central Michigan 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).

Central Michigan University graduates’ reported earnings are $173 above that expectation, the 55th 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 Central Michigan 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.**
+$9,161

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$8,988

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$173

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

## Which fields at Central Michigan University report the highest earnings?

Return varies widely by field at Central Michigan University. Management Information Systems and Services is the highest-earning program, with a median of $95,721 four years after completion, an Azimuth national rank of #24, and 54 degrees awarded.

Business Administration and Management, one of the largest programs at 231 degrees awarded, reaches $74,113 and ranks #125 nationally. By contrast, Psychology awards the most degrees at 248 but earns a median of $53,422 and ranks #128 in its field.

Subject-Area Teacher Education, with 215 degrees awarded, sits lower at $49,588 and ranks #88 nationally. The earnings spread among these programs four years after completion illustrates how much outcomes vary by field.

Central Michigan University publishes earnings data for 52 bachelor's programs, and 39 of them hold an Azimuth national rank. The highest-earning program is Management Information Systems and Services, where completers earn a median of $95,721 four years after completion, ranking #24 nationally.

Electrical Engineering follows at $91,542, and Computer Science at $89,216. Among the best-ranked programs, Community Organization and Advocacy sits at #2 nationally with 111 degrees awarded and a median of $58,344.

Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations ranks #8 nationally, with 28 degrees awarded, and reports a median of $57,513. The largest program, Psychology, awarded 248 degrees and shows a median of $53,422. It ranks #128 nationally and #3 in Michigan.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Management Information Systems and Services**
$95,721

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$91,542

**Computer Science**
$89,216

**Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians**
$86,472

**Mechanical Engineering**
$85,196

**Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians**
$84,064

**Statistics**
$81,853

**Accounting and Related Services**
$80,551

[Explore Central Michigan University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/central-michigan-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show how earnings shift by field: the downside scenario sits at $47,156, the typical scenario at $61,298, and the upside scenario reaches $79,617. Among the largest programs, Marketing graduates earn a median of $75,661 four years after completion, while Psychology, the largest program, sits at $53,422.

The highest-earning program overall, Management Information Systems and Services, reaches $95,721.

Federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $61,298 four years after completing a degree at Central Michigan University. Azimuth places that median in the 55th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The figure comes from a cohort of 5,932 completers and is a broad measure across fields, not a program-level result. The gap between actual and expected earnings is narrow: graduates earn about $173 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Program-mix earnings scenarios span from $47,156 on the downside to $79,617 on the upside, with a typical outcome of $61,298. Based on the program mix, an estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study.

## 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/).