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Career outcomes brief

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# Central Washington University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do Central Washington University graduates earn?

The reported median is $63,444 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $6,143 per year.

For Central Washington University, the return evidence is moderately favorable across both modeled and reported earnings. Graduates earn about $2,017 more than the model expects for similar students.

[Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 57th 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 $8,035. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,018.

Federally aided completers working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $63,444 four years after completion, in the 61st percentile. That is $6,143 above the peer median of $57,301 at comparable institutions, the middle value for schools in the same type and size.

Program selection makes a large difference in the earnings picture at Central Washington University. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix run from $48,680 on the downside to $84,047 on the upside; they are scenarios rather than observed groups of graduates.

Several fields sit near the upper end four years after completion: Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians at $97,869, Construction Management at $97,651, and Allied Health Professions at $97,263. Those field-level medians give the modeled range practical context.

An estimated 27.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so those continuing their education are outside that earnings snapshot when the reported median is read.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$63,444

**Rank for difference from expectations**
62nd percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Central Washington University reported median**
$63,444

**Peer schools comparable schools · $6,143 below Central Washington University**
$57,301

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $2,017 below Central Washington University**
$61,427

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 $48,680 to $84,047, around the reported median of $63,444. Compare the lower scenario with [Central Washington University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/central-washington-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**
$48,680

**Median · reported**
$63,444

**Higher estimate**
$84,047

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 Washington 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 Washington University graduates’ reported earnings are $2,017 above that expectation, the 62nd 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 Washington 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.**
+$8,035

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$6,018

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$2,017

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

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

At Central Washington University, Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians stands at the higher-earning end, with median earnings of $97,869 four years after completion. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the program #1 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field, and it awarded 28 degrees.

By contrast, Human Services recorded $54,318 and awarded 47 degrees; Azimuth ranks it #9 nationally in its field. Construction Management had median earnings of $97,651 across 38 degrees awarded and holds an Azimuth national rank of #11 in its field.

Subject-Area Teacher Education recorded $61,604 with 137 degrees awarded, ranking #13 nationally by Azimuth in its field. The figures show a clear difference between the higher-earning construction field and these more moderate-earning fields.

Central Washington University has 25 ranked bachelor’s fields. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians #1 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions; it awarded 28 degrees and its completers had median earnings of $97,869 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks Human Services #9 nationally, with 47 degrees awarded and median earnings of $54,318 four years after completion. Construction Management ranks #11 nationally, awarded 38 degrees, and shows $97,651 in median earnings.

Teacher Education ranks #12 nationally, with 246 degrees awarded and $59,659 in median earnings four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians**
$97,869

**Construction Management**
$97,651

**Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions**
$97,263

**Computer Science**
$95,368

**Economics**
$88,799

**Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians**
$84,871

**Chemistry**
$75,905

**Air Transportation**
$74,997

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

## Further analysis

Earnings prospects differ by field, with Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians at $97,869 four years after completion and Psychology, the lowest-earning of the largest programs, at $54,530. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix place downside, typical, and upside earnings at $48,680, $63,444, and $84,047.

That span shows why a chosen field can substantially shape the earnings picture.

The median earnings for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled four years after finishing a degree at Central Washington University are $63,444. That is $6,143 above the median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

The earnings cohort behind that median numbers 2,607 completers. Azimuth places that median in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical outcome of $63,444, a downside of $48,680 and an upside of $84,047. An estimated 27.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix, so the four-year earnings picture captures most but not all completers.

## 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/).