Graduates of Gustavus Adolphus College earn median 4-year earnings of $61,015, placing Gustavus Adolphus College in the 46.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,050 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Gustavus Adolphus College in the 23.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Gustavus Adolphus College #813 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect a liberal arts institution with a strong social sciences foundation and consistent early-career earnings across its program portfolio. The earnings pattern is anchored by Psychology, General, which combines substantial enrollment with solid four-year earnings. Psychology, General is the largest program with 66 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $53,277, representing 1.1x the national benchmark for the field. The Biology, General program graduates 52 students earning $54,202, while Business/Commerce, General with 43 graduates reaches $79,260. Kinesiology and Communication and Media Studies round out the top programs, each delivering four-year earnings in line with or above their respective field benchmarks. The concentration in Social Sciences — which represents the institution's primary degree focus — supports predictable, moderate-to-strong outcomes across the student body, with graduates typically entering stable professional and analytical careers in the region and beyond.
Graduates of Gustavus Adolphus College earn median 4-year earnings of $61,015, placing Gustavus Adolphus College in the 46.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,050 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Gustavus Adolphus College in the 23.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Gustavus Adolphus College #813 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect a liberal arts institution with a strong social sciences foundation and consistent early-career earnings across its program portfolio. The earnings pattern is anchored by Psychology, General, which combines substantial enrollment with solid four-year earnings. Psychology, General is the largest program with 66 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $53,277, representing 1.1x the national benchmark for the field. The Biology, General program graduates 52 students earning $54,202, while Business/Commerce, General with 43 graduates reaches $79,260. Kinesiology and Communication and Media Studies round out the top programs, each delivering four-year earnings in line with or above their respective field benchmarks. The concentration in Social Sciences — which represents the institution's primary degree focus — supports predictable, moderate-to-strong outcomes across the student body, with graduates typically entering stable professional and analytical careers in the region and beyond.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Healthy debt burden. Most graduates can manage $26,774 in debt with typical earnings.
Graduates of Gustavus Adolphus College earn median 4-year earnings of $61,015, placing Gustavus Adolphus College in the 46.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,050 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Gustavus Adolphus College in the 23.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Gustavus Adolphus College #813 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect a liberal arts institution with a strong social sciences foundation and consistent early-career earnings across its program portfolio. The earnings pattern is anchored by Psychology, General, which combines substantial enrollment with solid four-year earnings. Psychology, General is the largest program with 66 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $53,277, representing 1.1x the national benchmark for the field. The Biology, General program graduates 52 students earning $54,202, while Business/Commerce, General with 43 graduates reaches $79,260. Kinesiology and Communication and Media Studies round out the top programs, each delivering four-year earnings in line with or above their respective field benchmarks. The concentration in Social Sciences — which represents the institution's primary degree focus — supports predictable, moderate-to-strong outcomes across the student body, with graduates typically entering stable professional and analytical careers in the region and beyond.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Gustavus Adolphus College's program mix is anchored in Social Sciences, a signature that reflects the institution's liberal arts identity and emphasis on social inquiry. The largest programs by enrollment are Psychology, General with 66 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $53,277, followed by Biology, General with 52 graduates earning $54,202, Business/Commerce, General with 43 graduates earning $79,260, Kinesiology with 39 graduates, and Communication and Media Studies with 36 graduates. Across 33 total programs, 0 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold, serving roughly 671 students annually. The institution's highest-earning programs cluster in quantitative and applied fields. Nursing leads with median 4-year earnings of $86,114 from 29 graduates, followed by Business/Commerce, General earning $79,260 from 43 graduates, Communication and Media Studies earning $69,423, Political Science earning $62,218, and Kinesiology earning $57,870. The earnings spread across the institution's ranked programs reflects both the breadth of Social Sciences and the presence of stronger-paying fields in business, natural sciences, and professional preparation. Several of Gustavus Adolphus College's programs are high-mobility pathways where graduates enter the workforce directly and earnings reflect labor-market outcomes in their fields. Others, particularly within Social Sciences, represent grad-school-dependent pathways where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory because a meaningful share of graduates continue to graduate or professional school. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how these program families align with national wage trends and sector demand.
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Gustavus Adolphus College earn median 4-year earnings of $61,015, placing Gustavus Adolphus College in the 46.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,050 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Gustavus Adolphus College in the 23.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Gustavus Adolphus College #813 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect a liberal arts institution with a strong social sciences foundation and consistent early-career earnings across its program portfolio. The earnings pattern is anchored by Psychology, General, which combines substantial enrollment with solid four-year earnings. Psychology, General is the largest program with 66 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $53,277, representing 1.1x the national benchmark for the field. The Biology, General program graduates 52 students earning $54,202, while Business/Commerce, General with 43 graduates reaches $79,260. Kinesiology and Communication and Media Studies round out the top programs, each delivering four-year earnings in line with or above their respective field benchmarks. The concentration in Social Sciences — which represents the institution's primary degree focus — supports predictable, moderate-to-strong outcomes across the student body, with graduates typically entering stable professional and analytical careers in the region and beyond.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
