Career outcomes brief

Rochester Institute of Technology Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated October 1, 2026

How much do Rochester Institute of Technology graduates earn?

The reported median is $84,133 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $83,615 as its benchmark; the difference is $518 per year.

Rochester Institute of Technology stands out for return on investment: Azimuth places the university's return in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, graduates earn a median of $84,133, a figure in the 92nd percentile nationally.

That sits above the peer median of $83,615 for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $518. Graduates earn about $6,959 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 76th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $15,064. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,105. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $9,022.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a wide spread: $55,511 on the downside and $122,333 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $84,133. The program-level figures illustrate that range.

Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management graduates report median earnings of $138,679 four years after completion, while Computer Science, the largest program, reports $135,702. Design and Applied Arts graduates earn $52,043, showing how much the field matters within the overall spread.

An estimated 22.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings capture only completers who are working and not enrolled, those continuing their education are outside that snapshot. The median therefore reflects the majority who enter the workforce directly.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $84,133
Rank for difference from expectations: 76th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Rochester Institute of Technology reported median: $84,133
Peer schools comparable schools · $518 below Rochester Institute of Technology: $83,615
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $6,959 below Rochester Institute of Technology: $77,174

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?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $55,511
Median · reported: $84,133
Higher estimate: $122,333

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 Rochester Institute of Technology 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.

Rochester Institute of Technology graduates’ reported earnings are $6,959 above that expectation, the 76th 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 Rochester Institute of Technology caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Rochester Institute of Technology report the highest earnings?

The five largest programs at Rochester Institute of Technology are concentrated in computing and engineering, and their earnings four years after completion span a wide range. Computer Science leads with 186 degrees awarded and a median of $135,702.

Azimuth ranks it #49 nationally within its field. Computer Software and Media Applications is the strongest performer by national rank, at #3 in its field, with 152 degrees awarded and median earnings of $88,096.

Computer Engineering follows at 149 degrees and $123,027, ranked #28 nationally. At the more moderate-earning end of the largest programs, Design and Applied Arts awards 122 degrees and reports median earnings of $52,043, ranked #63 nationally.

The contrast with the top-earning programs is sharp, and a student's field choice here carries a large earnings consequence.

Rochester Institute of Technology publishes earnings data for 39 bachelor's programs, 32 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest program, Computer Science, awarded 186 degrees and shows a median of $135,702 four years after completion, ranking #49 nationally.

Several programs hold top-ten national ranks. Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management ranks #1 with 68 degrees awarded and a median of $138,679.

Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians ranks #1 nationally and #1 in New York, with 56 degrees awarded and a median of $83,553. Computer Programming ranks #2 and reports a median of $113,559 with 27 degrees awarded.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management: $138,679
Computer Science: $135,702
Computer Engineering: $123,027
Computer Programming: $113,559
Industrial Engineering: $105,313
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions: $100,680
Computer and Information Sciences, General: $100,367
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians: $96,361

Explore Rochester Institute of Technology program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings at Rochester Institute of Technology depend heavily on field of study, a spread captured in three earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix. The downside earnings scenario sits at $55,511, the typical scenario at $84,133, and the upside scenario reaches $122,333.

The highest-earning program is Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, whose graduates earn a median of $138,679 four years after completion, while among the largest programs Design and Applied Arts sits at $52,043.

Graduates of Rochester Institute of Technology earn about $6,959 more than the model expects for similar students, and the median earnings four years after completion reach $84,133. That median sits above the peer median of $83,615 for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $518.

The earnings cohort includes 2,984 completers, placing the university in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix range from a downside of $55,511 to an upside of $122,333.

An estimated 22.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The combination of above-expected earnings and a wide scenario spread reflects a program portfolio tilted toward technical fields that pay well but vary in their returns.

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.