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Career outcomes brief

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# Duke University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do Duke University graduates earn?

The reported median is $115,722 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $47,472 per year.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Duke University #7 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the pillar in the 99th percentile.

Four years after completion, completers earn a median of $115,722, a figure in the 99th percentile. The median is above the peer median of $68,250 among comparable institutions (same type and size) by $47,472.

Graduates earn about $10,215 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 84th percentile. The model attributes $11,427 of the gap to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market), a share that adds to expected earnings.

It attributes $1,212 to a remainder it does not explain, which subtracts. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $5,482.

The range between the downside and upside scenarios spans from $62,353 to $199,459, reflecting the variation in earnings potential across the university's program clusters. Mathematics graduates earn a median of $297,029 four years after completion, while Computer Science graduates earn $195,809 four years after completion.

Computer Engineering completers see median earnings of $174,522 four years after completion, and Economics completers earn $161,149 four years after completion. These program-level outcomes sit well above the national medians for their respective fields.

An estimated 35.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$115,722

**Rank for difference from expectations**
84th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Duke University reported median**
$115,722

**Peer schools comparable schools · $47,472 below Duke University**
$68,250

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $10,215 below Duke University**
$105,507

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 $62,353 to $199,459, around the reported median of $115,722. Compare the lower scenario with [Duke University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/duke-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**
$62,353

**Median · reported**
$115,722

**Higher estimate**
$199,459

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 Duke 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).

Duke University graduates’ reported earnings are $10,215 above that expectation, the 84th 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 Duke 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.**
+$11,427

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$1,212

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$10,215

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

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

Duke University's highest-earning bachelor's program is Mathematics, where completers earn a median of $297,029 four years after completion, alongside 53 degrees awarded. Computer Science, the largest program by degrees awarded, follows at $195,809 with 370 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #9 in its field.

Among the other large programs, Economics reports a median of $161,149 on 209 degrees awarded. Biology reaches $83,192 with 160 degrees awarded and holds an Azimuth national rank of #6, illustrating the contrast between the university's highest- and moderate-earning fields.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 15 programs at Duke University, and earnings data is available for 19 bachelor's programs. The largest program, Computer Science, awarded 370 degrees and holds a national rank of #9 with median earnings of $195,809 four years after completion.

Economics follows with 209 degrees awarded and median earnings of $161,149. Public Policy Analysis awarded 181 degrees and shows median earnings of $103,071.

Biology ranks #6 nationally and #1 in North Carolina, with 160 degrees awarded and median earnings of $83,192. Nursing rounds out the largest programs with 155 degrees awarded and median earnings of $87,763.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Mathematics**
$297,029

**Computer Science**
$195,809

**Computer Engineering**
$174,522

**Economics**
$161,149

**Statistics**
$152,782

**Mechanical Engineering**
$120,991

**History**
$112,377

**Biomedical/Medical Engineering**
$105,921

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

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show how earnings vary by field: a downside of $62,353, a typical outcome of $115,722, and an upside reaching $199,459. The highest-earning program, Mathematics, reaches $297,029, while among the largest programs Biology sits at $83,192.

Duke University records median earnings of $115,722 four years after completion among 1,910 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That outcome ranks in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $68,250; the university's median sits above that level by $47,472. Graduates earn about $10,215 more than the model expects for similar students.

That result sits in the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program-mix earnings scenarios span from $62,353 on the downside to $199,459 on the upside, with $115,722 as the typical outcome.

The model estimates graduate-school continuation at 35.9%, a figure derived from program mix rather than observed enrollment.

## 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/).