Graduates of Kansas State University earn median 4-year earnings of $64,711, placing Kansas State University in the 64.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,307 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 71.3 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Kansas State University #426 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Animal Sciences reports 238 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $50,941, ranked #18 nationally in its major. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods reports 224 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $46,562, ranked #147 nationally in its major. Mechanical Engineering reports 182 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $88,533, ranked #151 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 178 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $69,735, ranked #157 nationally in its major.
Graduates of Kansas State University earn median 4-year earnings of $64,711, placing Kansas State University in the 64.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,307 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 71.3 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Kansas State University #426 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Animal Sciences reports 238 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $50,941, ranked #18 nationally in its major. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods reports 224 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $46,562, ranked #147 nationally in its major. Mechanical Engineering reports 182 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $88,533, ranked #151 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 178 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $69,735, ranked #157 nationally in its major.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Healthy debt burden. Most graduates can manage $21,250 in debt with typical earnings.
Graduates of Kansas State University earn median 4-year earnings of $64,711, placing Kansas State University in the 64.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,307 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 71.3 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Kansas State University #426 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Animal Sciences reports 238 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $50,941, ranked #18 nationally in its major. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods reports 224 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $46,562, ranked #147 nationally in its major. Mechanical Engineering reports 182 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $88,533, ranked #151 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 178 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $69,735, ranked #157 nationally in its major.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Kansas State University's program mix is anchored in Business, with meaningful concentrations in Business (20% of graduates), Engineering (12%), and Education (8%). This distribution reflects the university's land-grant identity — a broad, applied portfolio spanning agriculture, engineering, and professional fields alongside its business core. Across 76 programs serving roughly 3,927 graduates annually, the institution's strongest financial outcomes are concentrated in a handful of high-demand fields where employer recruitment is consistent and early-career pay is solid. Mechanical Engineering anchors Kansas State University's economic profile, combining meaningful cohort scale with strong four-year earnings — the combination that drives the largest aggregate return for graduates. Among the most popular programs, Animal Sciences program graduates 238 students annually with median earnings of $50,941 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #16 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Teacher Education and Mechanical Engineering also enroll large cohorts — 224 and 182 graduates respectively — with four-year median earnings of $46,562 and $88,533, reflecting the breadth of the university's applied professional offerings. The highest-earning programs at Kansas State University are concentrated in technical and professional fields where graduates enter the workforce directly. Mechanical Engineering leads with median earnings of $88,533 four years after enrollment — Azimuth ranks the program #132 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions — followed by Accounting at $79,008 and Finance at $75,705. These are high-mobility, direct-to-workforce pathways where four-year earnings reflect genuine labor-market outcomes rather than a pre-graduate-school stepping stone. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how these fields align with national hiring trends.
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Kansas State University earn median 4-year earnings of $64,711, placing Kansas State University in the 64.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,307 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 71.3 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Kansas State University #426 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Animal Sciences reports 238 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $50,941, ranked #18 nationally in its major. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods reports 224 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $46,562, ranked #147 nationally in its major. Mechanical Engineering reports 182 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $88,533, ranked #151 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 178 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $69,735, ranked #157 nationally in its major.
