1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Florida Gulf Coast University](/school/florida-gulf-coast-university/)
4.  /
5.  Career outcomes brief

Career outcomes brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# Florida Gulf Coast University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do FGCU graduates earn?

The reported median is $59,369 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$6,241 per year.

Return indicators are below the comparable-school benchmark. Azimuth places Florida Gulf Coast University's return pillar in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $7,360 less than the model expects for similar students. That earnings-beyond-expectations result, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 27th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,198. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,558.

Median earnings are $59,369 four years after completion, in the 48th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, putting Florida Gulf Coast University $6,241 below it.

Both measures point to lower school-level earnings than comparable institutions.

Earnings vary widely by modeled scenario and by field at Florida Gulf Coast University. The downside earnings scenario is $49,395, the typical scenario is $59,369, and the upside scenario reaches $76,340 four years after completion.

The higher-earning fields show one end of that spread: Computer Engineering has median earnings of $98,650, Biomedical Engineering reaches $91,676, and Nursing records $86,452, all four years after completion. These are program-level medians, not outcomes for every graduate.

Graduate study affects how the four-year earnings figure should be read. An estimated 29.7% 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 they exclude those continuing their education.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$59,369

**Rank for difference from expectations**
27th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**FGCU reported median**
$59,369

**Peer schools comparable schools · $6,241 above FGCU**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $7,360 above FGCU**
$66,729

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 $49,395 to $76,340, around the reported median of $59,369. Compare the lower scenario with [FGCU borrowing and monthly payments](/school/florida-gulf-coast-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**
$49,395

**Median · reported**
$59,369

**Higher estimate**
$76,340

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 FGCU 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).

FGCU graduates’ reported earnings are $7,360 below that expectation, the 27th 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 FGCU 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.**
+$5,198

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$12,558

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$7,360

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

## Which fields at FGCU report the highest earnings?

Within Florida Gulf Coast University’s nationally ranked fields, Education has a median of $55,116 four years after completion from 52 degrees awarded. Azimuth places it #6 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Security Science and Technology is a moderate-earning field, with $52,096 in median earnings and 83 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #14 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Legal Support Services recorded $56,695 in median earnings four years after completion across 49 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks the field #3 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies had $48,879 in median earnings and 297 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national rank of #15 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The figures show a higher-earning Legal Support Services field alongside larger, moderate-earning fields.

Program rankings provide several concrete comparisons across the university’s fields. Azimuth publishes national field rankings for 30 bachelor's fields at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Azimuth places Legal Support Services at #3 nationally within its field. It awarded 49 degrees, and completers had median earnings of $56,695 four years after completion.

Education ranks #6 nationally; it awarded 52 degrees and shows $55,116 in median earnings four years after completion. Security Science and Technology is ranked #14 nationally, with 83 degrees awarded and $52,096 in median earnings four years after completion.

Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy ranks #14 nationally, awarded 29 degrees, and reports $48,942 in median earnings four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Engineering**
$98,650

**Biomedical/Medical Engineering**
$91,676

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$86,452

**Civil Engineering**
$84,451

**Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering**
$78,238

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
$75,767

**Management Information Systems and Services**
$74,739

**Accounting and Related Services**
$72,207

[Explore FGCU program cohorts and field ranks](/school/florida-gulf-coast-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Field choice matters, with earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix: $49,395 in the downside scenario, $59,369 in the typical scenario, and $76,340 in the upside scenario. Computer Engineering has median earnings of $98,650 four years after completion, while Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, the lowest-earning among the largest programs, has $48,879.

Graduates of Florida Gulf Coast University earn less than the model predicts for students like them, and the median sits below the peer benchmark. The program mix, however, includes fields that pay considerably more than the university-wide figure.

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $59,369. Azimuth places that figure in the 48th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 2,700 completers.

It is $6,241 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $7,360 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a range from a downside of $49,395 to an upside of $76,340, with a typical scenario of $59,369. An estimated 29.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

## 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/).