1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Pennsylvania Western University](/school/pennsylvania-western-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Pennsylvania Western University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/pennsylvania-western-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/pennsylvania-western-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/pennsylvania-western-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/pennsylvania-western-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/pennsylvania-western-university/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Pennsylvania Western University graduates earn? The reported median is $54,553 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$2,748 per year. Mobility is the strongest pillar at Pennsylvania Western University, and return is its weakest. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 24th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,072 less than the model expects for similar students. That [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) measure, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 32nd 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 $3,412. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,484. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $234. Median earnings are $54,553 four years after completion, in the 31st percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301; the university is $2,748 below it. The modeled earnings range is broad, making field of study central to the picture at Pennsylvania Western University. Scenarios based on the program mix run from $42,401 on the downside to $77,207 on the upside; they are earnings scenarios, not observed groups of graduates. Among higher-earning fields, median earnings four years after completion are $83,194 in Health Sciences, $82,099 in Nursing, and $77,401 in Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians. Those field results help explain the span between the earnings scenarios. An estimated 28.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. The four-year earnings measure covers completers who are working and not enrolled, which is the context for interpreting that estimate. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $54,553 **Rank for difference from expectations** 32nd percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Pennsylvania Western University reported median** $54,553 **Peer schools comparable schools · $2,748 above Pennsylvania Western University** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $6,072 above Pennsylvania Western University** $60,625 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 could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $42,401 to $77,207, around the reported median of $54,553. Compare the lower scenario with [Pennsylvania Western University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/pennsylvania-western-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** $42,401 **Median · reported** $54,553 **Higher estimate** $77,207 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 Pennsylvania Western 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). Pennsylvania Western University graduates’ reported earnings are $6,072 below that expectation, the 32nd 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 Pennsylvania Western 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.** +$3,412 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$9,484 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$6,072 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Pennsylvania Western University report the highest earnings? At Pennsylvania Western University, four-year earnings differ sharply by field, with health programs at the higher end and broader programs at more moderate levels. Health Sciences had median earnings of $83,194 four years after completion, with 26 degrees awarded. Nursing recorded $82,099 and 273 degrees awarded in the same academic year. Among larger programs, Business Administration and Management posted median earnings of $55,515 four years after completion across 169 degrees awarded. Liberal Arts and General Studies recorded $44,180 with 220 degrees awarded. The contrast between the health fields and these broader programs shows that the earnings picture depends substantially on field of study. At Pennsylvania Western University, Health Professions accounts for 17.4% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, making it the university’s largest program family. Its largest fields show a wide range of median earnings four years after completion. Nursing awarded 273 bachelor’s degrees in one academic year; median earnings four years after completion were $82,099. Liberal Arts and General Studies awarded 220 degrees, with median earnings of $44,180. Business Administration and Management awarded 169 degrees and had median earnings of $55,515. Kinesiology and Physical Education awarded 153 degrees, with median earnings of $47,468. Teacher Education awarded 150 degrees and had median earnings of $47,295. Earnings vary considerably across these large fields. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General** $83,194 **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $82,099 **Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians** $77,401 **Computer and Information Sciences, General** $73,164 **Systems Science and Theory** $70,820 **Information Science/Studies** $70,608 **Finance and Financial Management Services** $68,289 **Chemistry** $65,224 [Explore Pennsylvania Western University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/pennsylvania-western-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from a downside of $42,401 to a typical outcome of $54,553 and an upside of $77,207. At four years after completion, Health Sciences is the highest-earning program at $83,194; among the largest programs, Liberal Arts and General Studies is at $44,180. The spread shows variation by field. For federally aided completers from Pennsylvania Western University, the earnings picture is modest: median pay is $54,553 four years after completion among those working and no longer enrolled. This measure falls in Azimuth's 31st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions and draws on an earnings cohort of 4,484 completers. Graduates earn about $6,072 less than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is negative here. Scenarios modeled from the program mix set typical earnings at $54,553, with a downside scenario at $42,401 and an upside scenario at $77,207. An estimated 28.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The lower earnings standing and less-than-expected model result point in the same direction. ## 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/).