Graduates of Portland State University earn median 4-year earnings of $62,060, placing Portland State University in the 52.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,850 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 75.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Portland State University #666 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Psychology, General reports 365 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,063, ranked #185 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 275 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $71,621, ranked #121 nationally in its major. Social Sciences, General reports 247 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $52,562, ranked #20 nationally in its major. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities reports 223 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $50,949, ranked #96 nationally in its major.
Graduates of Portland State University earn median 4-year earnings of $62,060, placing Portland State University in the 52.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,850 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 75.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Portland State University #666 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Psychology, General reports 365 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,063, ranked #185 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 275 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $71,621, ranked #121 nationally in its major. Social Sciences, General reports 247 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $52,562, ranked #20 nationally in its major. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities reports 223 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $50,949, ranked #96 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 $20,500 in debt with typical earnings.
Graduates of Portland State University earn median 4-year earnings of $62,060, placing Portland State University in the 52.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,850 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 75.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Portland State University #666 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Psychology, General reports 365 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,063, ranked #185 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 275 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $71,621, ranked #121 nationally in its major. Social Sciences, General reports 247 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $52,562, ranked #20 nationally in its major. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities reports 223 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $50,949, ranked #96 nationally in its major.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Portland State University's program mix is anchored in Business, with additional depth in social sciences, health, and liberal arts — a portfolio shaped by the university's urban public mission in Portland. Business accounts for 21% of graduates, followed by Social Sciences at 12% and Arts at 6%. Across 60 programs serving roughly 4,650 students annually, 49 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold — a broad base that reflects the institution's comprehensive degree offerings. Business Administration is the program that combines the largest cohort scale with strong earnings, making it a central driver of Portland State University's overall financial profile. Among the largest programs, Psychology, General program graduates 365 students with median earnings of $49,063 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks it #230 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The Business Administration program graduates 275 students earning $71,621, while The Social Sciences program graduates 247 students earning $52,562. The earnings spread across these popular programs illustrates how outcomes vary meaningfully by field of study, even within a single institution. The strongest early-career earnings come from Computer Science, where graduates earn $113,889 four years after enrollment — Azimuth ranks this program #89 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Accounting follows at $77,226, and Business Administration graduates earn $71,621. Several of these high-earning fields — particularly in business and applied technology — are high-mobility pathways where graduates enter the workforce directly and earnings reflect supply and demand for college graduates in Portland's regional economy and beyond. Programs in social sciences and liberal arts, by contrast, often serve as foundations for graduate study, where four-year earnings undercount the longer-term trajectory for students who continue to advanced degrees. ```
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Portland State University earn median 4-year earnings of $62,060, placing Portland State University in the 52.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,850 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 75.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Portland State University #666 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Psychology, General reports 365 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $49,063, ranked #185 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 275 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $71,621, ranked #121 nationally in its major. Social Sciences, General reports 247 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $52,562, ranked #20 nationally in its major. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities reports 223 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $50,949, ranked #96 nationally in its major.
