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Career outcomes brief

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# Portland State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/portland-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/portland-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/portland-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/portland-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/portland-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do Portland State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $62,060 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$3,550 per year.

For completers, Portland State University has a mixed return picture: median earnings four years after completion are $62,060, placing them in the 57th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, with earnings below it by $3,550.

Azimuth puts the university's return pillar at the 55th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,787 more 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, sits 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 $6,722.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,935. Above-expected earnings sit alongside a peer median that is higher.

Portland State University has a broad modeled earnings range across its program mix rather than one uniform outcome. The downside scenario is $47,567 and the upside scenario is $85,570 four years after completion, framing lower- and higher-earning program clusters.

At the upper end, Computer Science completers have median earnings of $113,889, Electrical Engineering completers earn $101,905, and Mechanical Engineering completers earn $94,223. These program medians help explain the wide scenario span.

Graduate study is part of the context for reading workforce earnings. An estimated 31.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so they describe the workforce portion of the completing group.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$62,060

**Rank for difference from expectations**
68th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Portland State University reported median**
$62,060

**Peer schools comparable schools · $3,550 above Portland State University**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $3,787 below Portland State University**
$58,273

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 $47,567 to $85,570, around the reported median of $62,060. Compare the lower scenario with [Portland State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/portland-state-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**
$47,567

**Median · reported**
$62,060

**Higher estimate**
$85,570

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 Portland 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](/methodology/#value-added).

Portland State University graduates’ reported earnings are $3,787 above that expectation, the 68th 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 Portland State 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.**
+$6,722

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$2,935

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$3,787

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

## Which fields at Portland State University report the highest earnings?

Among Portland State University’s nationally ranked fields, the earnings picture is moderate overall, with a higher end that remains well below the university’s highest-earning offerings. Four years after completion, Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services has median earnings of $70,765 from 44 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #8 in its field nationally.

Community Organization and Advocacy records median earnings of $51,066 across 25 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national field rank of #4. Biological and Physical Sciences posts $57,303 in median earnings and 124 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #9 in its field nationally.

These fields hold national Azimuth positions, but their four-year earnings differ by field.

At Portland State University, 43 bachelor's fields carry Azimuth national ranks among nonprofit four-year institutions. Community Organization and Advocacy is the highest-ranked: [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #4 nationally within its field, with 25 degrees awarded and median earnings of $51,066 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services #8 nationally within its field; it recorded 44 degrees awarded and median earnings of $70,765 four years after completion. Biological and Physical Sciences ranks #9 nationally within its field, with 124 degrees awarded and median earnings of $57,303 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Science**
$113,889

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$101,905

**Mechanical Engineering**
$94,223

**Physics**
$87,488

**Civil Engineering**
$86,084

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
$79,727

**Accounting and Related Services**
$77,226

**Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology**
$75,765

[Explore Portland State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/portland-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Program mix leaves a wide modeled range across fields. The downside earnings scenario is $47,567, the typical scenario is $62,060, and the upside scenario is $85,570.

Computer Science is the highest-earning program at $113,889 four years after completion, while Psychology, the lowest-earning among the largest programs, is $49,063.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Portland State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $62,060. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that median falls at the 57th percentile.

The figure comes from an earnings cohort of 4,971 completers. Graduates earn about $3,787 more than the model expects for similar students.

That result sits at the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, reflecting pay that exceeds the model's expectation for comparable students. Earnings scenarios drawn from the program mix illustrate the range of possible outcomes: a downside of $47,567, a typical scenario of $62,060, and an upside of $85,570.

These scenarios are estimates, not observed cohorts. An estimated 31.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

## 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/).