Montclair State University Outcomes: $61K Earnings (2026)

How much do Montclair State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $61,351 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is -$4,259 per year.

Graduates of Montclair State University earn about $3,501 more than expects for similar students, a figure in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,406.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $1,095. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $115.

The return sits in the 55th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, median earnings reach $61,351, in the 55th percentile.

The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $65,610, so the university stands below by $4,259.

Earnings at Montclair State University vary widely with the program a student chooses. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, run from $46,546 on the downside to $74,938 on the upside, with $61,351 as the typical scenario.

At the top of the range, Nursing graduates earn a median of $109,167 four years after completion, from 49 degrees awarded a year. Accounting follows at $84,906, and Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology at $81,519.

The spread between the downside scenario and the highest-earning program shows how much the specific field matters.

An estimated 30.2% 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, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $61,351
Rank for difference from expectations: 67th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Montclair State University reported median: $61,351
Peer schools comparable schools · $4,259 above Montclair State University: $65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $3,501 below Montclair State University: $57,850

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 many Montclair State University first-year students return?

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

Returned the following fall: 79.3%

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

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $46,546
Median · reported: $61,351
Higher estimate: $74,938

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 Montclair 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.

Montclair State University graduates’ reported earnings are $3,501 above that expectation, the 67th 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 Montclair State University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Montclair State University report the highest earnings?

Montclair State University's highest-earning bachelor's program is Nursing, where completers earn a median of $109,167 four years after completion, with 49 degrees awarded. Accounting follows at $84,906 and 104 degrees awarded, while Computer and Information Sciences reaches $79,692 across 132 degrees awarded.

The university also fields several programs with strong national ranks. Legal Professions and Studies ranks #1 in its field and #1 in New Jersey, awarding 30 degrees and showing median earnings of $61,036.

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication ranks #7 nationally and #1 in New Jersey in its field, with 158 degrees awarded and earnings of $62,999. Among the largest programs with published earnings, Business Administration and Management awards 571 degrees and reports median earnings of $68,235, while Human Development and Family Studies ranks #17 nationally and #1 in New Jersey with 271 degrees awarded and earnings of $53,575.

Montclair State University publishes earnings data for 35 bachelor's programs, 29 of which hold national Azimuth ranks. The highest-ranked is Legal Professions and Studies at #1 nationally and first in New Jersey, with 30 degrees awarded and median earnings of $61,036 four years after completion.

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication follows at #7 nationally and also leads New Jersey, awarding 158 degrees and showing median earnings of $62,999. Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology ranks #10 nationally and first in New Jersey, with 43 degrees awarded and a median of $81,519.

The largest program, Business Administration and Management, awarded 571 degrees and ranks #119 nationally, with completers earning a median of $68,235.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show a downside of $46,546, a typical outcome of $61,351, and an upside of $74,938. Anchoring the range in named programs, Nursing graduates earn a median of $109,167 four years after completion, while Human Development and Family Studies, the lowest-earning among the largest programs with published earnings, sits at $53,575.

The median earnings of Montclair State University graduates four years after completion is $61,351, based on a cohort of 5,505 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That figure sits below the $65,610 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,259, and lands in the 55th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $3,501 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 67th percentile nationally. Scenarios modeled from the university's program mix point to a typical return of $61,351, a downside of $46,546, and an upside of $74,938.

An estimated 30.2% of programs' graduates continue to graduate study, a share derived from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

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.