Colorado State University-Fort Collins Earnings: $68K (2026)

How much do Colorado State University-Fort Collins graduates earn?

The reported median is $67,911 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $2,301 per year.

Colorado State University-Fort Collins posts a return picture above model expectations and comparable peers. Azimuth places its return in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,875 more than expects for similar students. That earnings-beyond-expectations result is in the 62nd 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 $11,343. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,468.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,676. Four years after completion, median earnings are $67,911, in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610; the university sits $2,301 above it. The model and peer comparisons point in the same direction.

Outcomes vary widely by field, with a downside earnings scenario of $47,896 and an upside scenario of $92,453. These are scenarios based on the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, Computer and Information Sciences completers have median earnings of $114,076 four years after completion; Information Science/Studies is at $102,765, and Electrical Engineering is at $99,172. The spread makes the choice of field especially consequential here.

Graduate study matters when reading the earnings snapshot. An estimated 31.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

Because four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, they describe outcomes for that portion of the cohort rather than every completer.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $67,911
Rank for difference from expectations: 62nd percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Colorado State University-Fort Collins reported median: $67,911
Peer schools comparable schools · $2,301 below Colorado State University-Fort Collins: $65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $1,875 below Colorado State University-Fort Collins: $66,036

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: $47,896
Median · reported: $67,911
Higher estimate: $92,453

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 Colorado State University-Fort Collins 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.

Colorado State University-Fort Collins graduates’ reported earnings are $1,875 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 Colorado State University-Fort Collins caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Colorado State University-Fort Collins report the highest earnings?

The program picture ranges from higher to moderate earnings, so field choice matters at Colorado State University-Fort Collins. Computer and Information Sciences reports median earnings of $114,076 four years after completion and 189 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #31 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Zoology/Animal Biology reaches $44,226 and awarded 200 degrees; Azimuth ranks it #9 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. At the more moderate end, Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management reports $52,971 and 75 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #4 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Interior Architecture shows $61,894 with 45 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #6 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

The program roster pairs several highly ranked fields with markedly different earnings levels, so the intended field matters. Azimuth ranks 40 bachelor's programs nationally among programs in their fields, and published earnings cover 47 programs.

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management ranks #4 nationally, awarded 75 degrees, and has median earnings of $52,971 four years after completion. Zoology/Animal Biology ranks #9 nationally, with 200 degrees awarded and median earnings of $44,226.

Computer and Information Sciences ranks #31 nationally, awarded 189 degrees, and shows median earnings of $114,076 four years after completion. Azimuth is the source for each national rank.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix put downside earnings at $47,896, typical earnings at $67,911, and upside earnings at $92,453. Computer and Information Sciences reaches $114,076 four years after completion, whereas Zoology/Animal Biology is at $44,226 among the largest programs with published earnings. The spread shows substantial variation by field.

At $67,911, Colorado State University-Fort Collins’s federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled reach median earnings four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, from a cohort of 5,203 completers.

Graduates earn about $1,875 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix place typical earnings at $67,911, with a downside scenario of $47,896 and an upside scenario of $92,453.

An estimated 31.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The above-expected result and earnings standing point in the same direction.

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.