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Career outcomes brief

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# Harvard University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do Harvard University graduates earn?

The reported median is $134,794 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $66,544 per year.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Harvard University #1 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the return pillar in the 99th percentile.

Graduates earn about $38,074 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 99th percentile nationally. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,306.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $27,768. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $5,571.

The median earnings four years after completion reach $134,794, in the 99th percentile. That figure runs above the peer median of $68,250 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $66,544.

The earnings scenarios at Harvard University show a wide range: a downside of $57,554 and an upside of $193,209. That gap reflects the variation in program-level outcomes four years after completion.

The highest-earning field, Statistics, reaches a median of $230,876. Computer Science, one of the largest programs by degrees awarded, follows at $203,169, while Economics completers earn a median of $155,592.

An estimated 41.3% 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, this estimate indicates that a sizable portion of completers may be building additional human capital outside the earnings snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$134,794

**Rank for difference from expectations**
99th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Harvard University reported median**
$134,794

**Peer schools comparable schools · $66,544 below Harvard University**
$68,250

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $38,074 below Harvard University**
$96,720

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 many Harvard University first-year students return?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

**Returned the following fall**
98.0%

Source: Harvard University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention.

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $57,554 to $193,209, around the reported median of $134,794. Compare the lower scenario with [Harvard University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/harvard-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**
$57,554

**Median · reported**
$134,794

**Higher estimate**
$193,209

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 Harvard 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).

Harvard University graduates’ reported earnings are $38,074 above that expectation, the 99th 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 Harvard 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.**
+$10,306

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
+$27,768

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$38,074

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

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

The five largest programs at Harvard University span a wide earnings range four years after completion. Computer Science completers have median earnings of $203,169, while History completers have median earnings of $70,679.

Social Sciences awards the most degrees, at 195, with median earnings of $78,996. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #3 nationally in its field.

Economics is close behind in size, with 186 degrees awarded and median earnings of $155,592. Azimuth ranks it #5 nationally in its field.

Political Science, at 121 degrees, sits between the two extremes with median earnings of $95,838.

Harvard University has 4 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, and the earnings picture varies sharply by field. Social Sciences accounts for 29.9% of degrees awarded, with Biological Sciences second at 12.6% and Mathematics & Statistics third at 11.7%.

The largest single program is Social Sciences, at 195 degrees awarded. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #3 within its field, and graduates earn a median of $78,996 four years after completion.

Natural Sciences holds the strongest national rank, at #1, with 35 degrees awarded and median earnings of $95,507 four years after completion. Economics is both large and well-paid, with 186 degrees awarded, a national rank of #5, and median earnings of $155,592 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Statistics**
$230,876

**Computer Science**
$203,169

**Applied Mathematics**
$170,689

**Economics**
$155,592

**Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences**
$117,816

**Political Science and Government**
$95,838

**Natural Sciences**
$95,507

**Social Sciences, General**
$78,996

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

## Further analysis

The spread between the downside and upside scenarios shows how much field of study matters at Harvard University. The downside earnings scenario sits at $57,554, the typical scenario at $134,794, and the upside scenario reaches $193,209.

Anchoring that range in named programs, the highest-earning field, Statistics, reaches $230,876, while among the largest programs History sits at $70,679.

Graduates of Harvard University earn about $38,074 more than the model expects for similar students, placing the outcome in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion are $134,794, drawn from 2,259 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled.

That level sits above the peer median of $68,250 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $66,544, and it falls in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix range from a downside of $57,554 to an upside of $193,209, with a typical outcome of $134,794.

The program mix yields an estimate that 41.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, not an observed enrollment count.

## 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/).