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Career outcomes brief

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# Clarkson University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

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## How much do Clarkson University graduates earn?

The reported median is $91,312 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $23,062 per year.

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, Clarkson University’s median earnings are $91,312 four years after completion, in the 94th percentile. Azimuth places the university’s return pillar in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $11,880 more than the model expects for similar students. That [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, is in the 86th 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 $11,763. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $117.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250; the university stands $23,062 above it. Above-peer and higher-than-expected earnings point the same way.

At Clarkson University, earnings scenarios show that outcomes differ across its program mix. The downside earnings scenario is $73,387 and the upside scenario is $97,651, rather than observed groups of graduates.

Four years after completion, median earnings are $107,790 in Computer Engineering, $103,132 in Computer Science, and $97,750 in Electrical Engineering. Those program medians meet or exceed the upside scenario, showing that earnings scenarios and field-level medians are different measures.

Further study affects how the four-year earnings figure should be read: an estimated 27.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The earnings measure covers completers who are working and not enrolled, so those pursuing further study are outside that snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$91,312

**Rank for difference from expectations**
86th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Clarkson University reported median**
$91,312

**Peer schools comparable schools · $23,062 below Clarkson University**
$68,250

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $11,880 below Clarkson University**
$79,432

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 Clarkson University first-year students return?

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

**Returned the following fall**
87.9%

Source: Clarkson University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention.

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $73,387 to $97,651, around the reported median of $91,312. Compare the lower scenario with [Clarkson University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/clarkson-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**
$73,387

**Median · reported**
$91,312

**Higher estimate**
$97,651

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 Clarkson 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).

Clarkson University graduates’ reported earnings are $11,880 above that expectation, the 86th 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 Clarkson 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.**
+$11,763

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
+$117

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$11,880

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

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

At Clarkson University, the program picture centers on higher four-year earnings in computing and engineering, with Biology offering a more moderate comparison. Four years after completion, Computer Engineering records median earnings of $107,790 across 28 degrees awarded.

Computer Science follows with $103,132 in median earnings and 19 degrees awarded. Chemical Engineering pairs median earnings of $93,614 with 45 degrees awarded, placing it among the higher-earning fields shown here.

By comparison, Biology reports $77,791 across 43 degrees awarded. The figures show a program mix where several engineering and computing fields sit above the biology result four years after completion.

Engineering accounts for 61.1% of bachelor’s degrees awarded at Clarkson University, making it the central program family in the degree mix. Published earnings cover 13 bachelor’s fields and are measured four years after completion.

Among the largest fields, Mechanical Engineering awarded 158 degrees and had median earnings of $90,286. Civil Engineering awarded 90 degrees, with median earnings of $82,387.

Engineering-Related Fields awarded 63 degrees and reported median earnings of $88,793. Chemical Engineering awarded 45 degrees, with median earnings of $93,614.

Biology awarded 43 degrees and had median earnings of $77,791. The largest fields span a broad earnings range even within this engineering-heavy mix.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Engineering**
$107,790

**Computer Science**
$103,132

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$97,750

**Chemical Engineering**
$93,614

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$93,152

**Accounting and Related Services**
$93,132

**Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering**
$91,066

**Mechanical Engineering**
$90,286

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

## Further analysis

Modeled from the program mix, earnings scenarios run from $73,387 in the downside case through $91,312 in the typical case to $97,651 in the upside case. Computer Engineering records $107,790 four years after completion, whereas Biology, the lowest-earning of the largest programs, records $77,791; the span points to field-by-field variation.

Clarkson University posts a $91,312 median four years after completion for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. In Azimuth’s comparison of nonprofit four-year institutions, that result falls in the 94th percentile; the underlying earnings cohort includes 1,210 completers.

Graduates earn about $11,880 more than the model expects for similar students. Here, [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) means the model’s difference between graduates’ earnings and its estimate for similar students.

The typical earnings scenario is $91,312, bracketed by a downside scenario of $73,387 and an upside scenario of $97,651. An estimated 27.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The high earnings placement and above-expected result point in the same direction.

## 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/).