College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Fayetteville State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do Fayetteville State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $51,687 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is -$5,614 per year.

For Fayetteville State University, the return lands in the 25th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $51,687, placing the figure in the 22nd percentile.

The comparable peer median is $57,301; the university sits $5,614 below that mark. Graduates earn about $2,249 less than expects for similar students.

That places the result in the 47th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,004.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,253. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $178.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $41,968 on the downside to $84,662 on the upside, with $51,687 as the typical scenario. These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

The spread between the downside and upside is wide, and the program at the upper end is also the largest. Nursing graduates earn a median of $88,701 four years after completion, from 213 degrees awarded.

Fire Protection follows at $73,969, from a much smaller cohort of 38 degrees awarded.

An estimated 29.4% 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 those continuing their education are outside that snapshot.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$51,687
Rank for difference from expectations
47th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
Fayetteville State University reported median
$51,687
Peer schools comparable schools · $5,614 above Fayetteville State University
$57,301
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $2,249 above Fayetteville State University
$53,936

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?

The planning scenarios range from $41,968 to $84,662, around the reported median of $51,687. Compare the lower scenario with Fayetteville State University borrowing and monthly payments 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
$41,968
Median · reported
$51,687
Higher estimate
$84,662

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 Fayetteville 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.

Fayetteville State University graduates’ reported earnings are $2,249 below that expectation, the 47th 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 Fayetteville State University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$5,004
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$7,253
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$2,249

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

Which fields at Fayetteville State University report the highest earnings?

At Fayetteville State University, the largest program is also the highest-earning. Nursing is both the largest program and the best-paid, with 213 degrees awarded and median earnings of $88,701 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #129 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Fire Protection is a much smaller program at 38 degrees awarded, but it carries the university's strongest national rank at #3 and median earnings of $73,969.

That is the top-ranked program in North Carolina for its field. Psychology and Business Administration and Management sit at the other end of the earnings range.

Psychology awards 163 degrees with median earnings of $43,358, and Azimuth ranks it #277 nationally. Business Administration and Management awards 134 degrees with median earnings of $48,094 and a national rank of #332.

Fayetteville State University has 13 bachelor's programs with an Azimuth national rank, and the same number with published earnings data. The standout is Fire Protection, which Azimuth ranks #3 nationally and #1 in North Carolina, with 38 degrees awarded and median earnings of $73,969 four years after completion.

The largest program is Nursing, with 213 degrees awarded and median earnings of $88,701 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #129 within its field.

Psychology is the second-largest, at 163 degrees awarded, and its completers earn a median of $43,358. Azimuth ranks it #277 within its field.

Business Administration and Management follows with 134 degrees and median earnings of $48,094, and Azimuth ranks it #332 within its field.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$88,701
Fire Protection
$73,969
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
$50,732
Biology, General
$48,881
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$48,094
Criminal Justice and Corrections
$46,660
Social Work
$46,119
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
$45,610

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

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show the variation by field. The downside earnings scenario is $41,968, the typical scenario is $51,687, and the upside scenario reaches $84,662.

Among the largest programs, Nursing sits at the high end with $88,701 four years after completion, while Psychology is at $43,358.

At Fayetteville State University, the median earnings four years after completion is $51,687, at the 22nd percentile nationally, drawn from an earnings cohort of 1,043 completers. That figure is $5,614 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $2,249 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from a downside of $41,968 to an upside of $84,662, with a typical scenario of $51,687.

An estimated 29.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The median sits below the peer benchmark, and the gap against the model's expectation is below.

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.