College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

New York University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do NYU graduates earn?

The reported median is $89,427 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $83,615 as its benchmark; the difference is $5,812 per year.

New York University posts a median of $89,427 four years after completion, a figure in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That is above the peer median of $83,615—the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size)—by $5,812.

Azimuth places the return in the 88th percentile nationally. Graduates earn about $11,625 less than expects for similar students, a result in the 15th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,048. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $21,673.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,330. The return picture is mixed: the median earnings figure coincides with an earnings-beyond-expectations measure that trails most peers.

Earnings at New York University vary widely with the program a student chooses. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $53,516 on the downside to $138,209 on the upside, with $89,427 as the typical scenario.

These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates. At the upper end, Management Science graduates earn a median of $158,559 four years after completion, and Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $142,495. The downside scenario shows what the lower-earning program clusters yield.

An estimated 29.9% 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
$89,427
Rank for difference from expectations
15th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
NYU reported median
$89,427
Peer schools comparable schools · $5,812 below NYU
$83,615
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $11,625 above NYU
$101,052

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 could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $53,516 to $138,209, around the reported median of $89,427. Compare the lower scenario with NYU borrowing and monthly payments 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
$53,516
Median · reported
$89,427
Higher estimate
$138,209

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 explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do NYU 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.

NYU graduates’ reported earnings are $11,625 below that expectation, the 15th 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 NYU caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$10,048
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$21,673
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$11,625

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

Which fields at NYU report the highest earnings?

The university's largest programs span a wide earnings range, from six-figure medians in quantitative fields to more moderate outcomes in the social sciences and creative arts. Computer and Information Sciences is the largest program with 604 degrees awarded, and its completers earn a median of $142,495 four years after completion, ranking #12 nationally in the field.

Economics follows with 541 degrees awarded and median earnings of $116,510, placing it #29 nationally. Among the larger programs with more moderate earnings, Liberal Arts and General Studies awarded 549 degrees and shows a median of $66,502, ranking #14 nationally.

Research and Experimental Psychology reports $63,315 on 530 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #16.

The university publishes earnings data for 44 bachelor's programs, 40 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest program, Computer and Information Sciences, awarded 604 degrees and shows a median of $142,495 four years after completion.

It ranks #12 nationally and #1 in New York. Several programs hold a top-three national rank.

Business/Commerce ranks #1 with 395 degrees awarded and a median of $137,804. Engineering-Related Fields ranks #1 nationally, awarding 69 degrees and showing a median of $114,572.

Film/Video and Photographic Arts ranks #2 nationally, with 407 degrees awarded and a median of $58,720.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
$158,559
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$142,495
Business/Commerce, General
$137,804
Real Estate
$130,716
Mathematics and Statistics, Other
$129,073
Computer Engineering
$127,201
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$118,433
Economics
$116,510

Explore NYU program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings at New York University vary sharply by field, a spread captured in earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix. The downside scenario, reflecting lower-earning program clusters, sits at $53,516, while the typical scenario is $89,427 and the upside scenario reaches $138,209.

Anchoring that range in named programs, Management Science graduates earn a median of $158,559 four years after completion, while Research and Experimental Psychology, one of the largest programs, sits at $63,315.

Four years after completion, the median earnings of New York University graduates reach $89,427, which sits above the median of $83,615 for comparable institutions (same type and size). The earnings cohort includes 6,798 completers, and the median places the university in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $11,625 less than the model expects for similar students, a gap that places the university in the 15th percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a downside scenario of $53,516 and an upside scenario reaching $138,209.

An estimated 29.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The return picture is mixed: the median earnings percentile is strong, but graduates fall short of what the model expects for similar students.

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.