Career outcomes brief

Cleveland State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated October 1, 2026

How much do Cleveland State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $61,322 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $4,021 per year.

Cleveland State University graduates earn about $6,645 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 76th 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 $6,330.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $315. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,757.

Four years after completion, completers earn a median of $61,322, which sits in the 55th percentile nationally. That figure is above the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $4,021. Azimuth places the return for the university in the 61st percentile.

The earnings scenarios at Cleveland State University span from a downside of $43,829 to an upside of $83,377, with the typical scenario at $61,322. That range shows the variation in earnings across the university's 46 programs with published data four years after completion.

The highest-earning programs illustrate the upper end of the spread. Computer Science completers earn a median of $100,385, Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians graduates reach $88,732, and Computer Engineering completers earn $88,595.

An estimated 29.8% 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 that estimate matters when reading the reported median: some graduates pursuing further study are outside that earnings snapshot.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $61,322
Rank for difference from expectations: 76th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Cleveland State University reported median: $61,322
Peer schools comparable schools · $4,021 below Cleveland State University: $57,301
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $6,645 below Cleveland State University: $54,677

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.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $43,829
Median · reported: $61,322
Higher estimate: $83,377

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 explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Cleveland State 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.

Cleveland State University graduates’ reported earnings are $6,645 above that expectation, the 76th 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 Cleveland State University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Cleveland State University report the highest earnings?

The university's highest-earning bachelor's program is Computer Science, where completers earn a median of $100,385 four years after completion, with 48 degrees awarded. Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians follows at $88,732 (10 degrees awarded), and Mechanical Engineering at $85,184 (86 degrees awarded).

Nursing, the second-largest with 231 degrees awarded, shows a median of $82,201 and an Azimuth national rank of #223. Psychology, the largest at 235 degrees awarded, reaches $46,090 and ranks #244 nationally.

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions reports $55,038 and ranks #56 nationally on 153 degrees awarded. Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication reaches $55,174 and ranks #60 nationally.

Cleveland State University publishes earnings data for 46 bachelor's programs, and 34 hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest, Psychology, awarded 235 degrees and shows a median of $46,090 four years after completion.

Nursing awarded 231 degrees with a median of $82,201 and ranks #223 nationally. Among the best-ranked programs, Health/Medical Preparatory Programs holds a national rank of #4 with 40 degrees awarded and a median of $67,214.

Educational Administration and Supervision ranks #4 nationally, awarded 27 degrees, and reports a median of $41,308. Urban Studies/Affairs ranks #14 nationally and #1 in Ohio, with 39 degrees awarded. Its graduates report a median of $53,582 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

Computer Science: $100,385
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians: $88,732
Computer Engineering: $88,595
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering: $87,713
Mechanical Engineering: $85,184
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions: $83,938
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing: $82,201
Chemical Engineering: $81,185

Explore Cleveland State University program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Program choice shapes much of the earnings spread at Cleveland State University. From the program mix, the earnings scenarios span $43,829 on the downside, $61,322 as typical, and $83,377 on the upside.

The highest-earning field is Computer Science, at $100,385, while the largest program, Psychology, is at $46,090.

Four years after completion, Cleveland State University graduates earn a median of $61,322, which runs above the median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size). The earnings cohort includes 3,622 completers.

Graduates earn about $6,645 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that places the university in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical outcome of $61,322, with a downside scenario of $43,829 and an upside scenario reaching $83,377.

An estimated 29.8% continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The median earnings sit above the peer benchmark, and the figure for how much graduates earn beyond what the model expects points in the same direction.

The earnings scenarios show a wide spread between the downside and upside, which reflects the mix of programs available at the university.

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.