Graduates of Delta State University earn median 4-year earnings of $47,248, placing Delta State University in the 8.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs below the $52,536 median at comparable institutions. Graduates earn about $2,009 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Delta State University in the 49.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures represent lifetime returns relative to MS's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $29,193 — the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential. Azimuth ranks Delta State University #1176 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Delta State's concentration in education and applied professional fields. Subject-Specific Teacher Education is the largest program with 78 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $43,300, performing at 0.8× the national benchmark for the field. The Nursing program graduates 46 students earning $76,031, and the The Teacher Education program graduates 42 students earning $41,177. Biology, General and Psychology, General round out the top five, with 41 and 25 graduates respectively. The Education focus — representing the institution's primary degree concentration — aligns with regional labor-market demand in Mississippi and the broader South, where education, healthcare, and public-service careers anchor stable employment pathways.
Graduates of Delta State University earn median 4-year earnings of $47,248, placing Delta State University in the 8.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs below the $52,536 median at comparable institutions. Graduates earn about $2,009 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Delta State University in the 49.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures represent lifetime returns relative to MS's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $29,193 — the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential. Azimuth ranks Delta State University #1176 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Delta State's concentration in education and applied professional fields. Subject-Specific Teacher Education is the largest program with 78 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $43,300, performing at 0.8× the national benchmark for the field. The Nursing program graduates 46 students earning $76,031, and the The Teacher Education program graduates 42 students earning $41,177. Biology, General and Psychology, General round out the top five, with 41 and 25 graduates respectively. The Education focus — representing the institution's primary degree concentration — aligns with regional labor-market demand in Mississippi and the broader South, where education, healthcare, and public-service careers anchor stable employment pathways.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Delta State University earn median 4-year earnings of $47,248, placing Delta State University in the 8.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs below the $52,536 median at comparable institutions. Graduates earn about $2,009 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Delta State University in the 49.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures represent lifetime returns relative to MS's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $29,193 — the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential. Azimuth ranks Delta State University #1176 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Delta State's concentration in education and applied professional fields. Subject-Specific Teacher Education is the largest program with 78 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $43,300, performing at 0.8× the national benchmark for the field. The Nursing program graduates 46 students earning $76,031, and the The Teacher Education program graduates 42 students earning $41,177. Biology, General and Psychology, General round out the top five, with 41 and 25 graduates respectively. The Education focus — representing the institution's primary degree concentration — aligns with regional labor-market demand in Mississippi and the broader South, where education, healthcare, and public-service careers anchor stable employment pathways.
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Delta State University earn median 4-year earnings of $47,248, placing Delta State University in the 8.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs below the $52,536 median at comparable institutions. Graduates earn about $2,009 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Delta State University in the 49.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures represent lifetime returns relative to MS's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $29,193 — the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential. Azimuth ranks Delta State University #1176 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Delta State's concentration in education and applied professional fields. Subject-Specific Teacher Education is the largest program with 78 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $43,300, performing at 0.8× the national benchmark for the field. The Nursing program graduates 46 students earning $76,031, and the The Teacher Education program graduates 42 students earning $41,177. Biology, General and Psychology, General round out the top five, with 41 and 25 graduates respectively. The Education focus — representing the institution's primary degree concentration — aligns with regional labor-market demand in Mississippi and the broader South, where education, healthcare, and public-service careers anchor stable employment pathways.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Delta State University's program mix is anchored in education, health professions, and business fields—a portfolio reflecting the institution's regional mission and workforce needs. Subject-Specific Teacher Education is the largest program with 78 graduates, followed by Nursing, Teacher Education, Biology, General, and Psychology, General. Across 22 programs serving roughly 454 students annually, 0 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. The earnings pattern reflects Delta State's strength in applied professional fields. Nursing leads with median earnings of $76,031 four years after enrollment, followed by Social Work at $47,196, Biology, General at $46,266, and Business/Commerce, General at $45,058. These outcomes correspond to the institution's concentration in Education, which accounts for a substantial share of degrees and aligns with stable, in-demand regional career pathways in education, nursing, and business administration. Several of these programs are direct-to-workforce pathways where graduates enter employment immediately and earnings reflect labor-market outcomes—particularly in nursing, business, and accounting fields. Education-focused programs, by contrast, represent grad-school-dependent and credential-advancement pathways where four-year earnings reflect early-career teaching salaries and do not capture the full trajectory of educators who pursue advanced degrees or administrative certification. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how Delta State's dominant program families align with regional labor-market demand and long-term workforce trends.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
