Career outcomes brief

Saginaw Valley State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated October 1, 2026

How much do Saginaw Valley State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $63,454 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $6,153 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $63,454, at the 61st percentile nationally. That is $6,153 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the return at the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,679 more than expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 61st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $4,706.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,027. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $737.

The earnings scenarios at Saginaw Valley State University span from a downside of $47,633 to an upside of $80,493, with the typical scenario at $63,454. That range reflects the variation in outcomes across the university's 28 programs with earnings data four years after completion.

The highest-earning programs show the upper end of the spread: Computer and Information Sciences completers earn a median of $90,681, Electrical Engineering graduates reach $90,482, and Mechanical Engineering completers earn $83,873. The largest program, Nursing, awards 178 degrees and its completers earn a median of $81,103, which sits near the top of the university's range.

An estimated 27.8% 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: $63,454
Rank for difference from expectations: 61st percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Saginaw Valley State University reported median: $63,454
Peer schools comparable schools · $6,153 below Saginaw Valley State University: $57,301
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $1,679 below Saginaw Valley State University: $61,775

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: $47,633
Median · reported: $63,454
Higher estimate: $80,493

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 Saginaw Valley 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.

Saginaw Valley State University graduates’ reported earnings are $1,679 above that expectation, the 61st 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 Saginaw Valley State University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Saginaw Valley State University report the highest earnings?

Saginaw Valley State University awards bachelor's degrees across 28 fields with published four-year earnings, and Azimuth ranks 21 of them nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. The highest-earning program, Computer and Information Sciences, shows a median of $90,681 four years after completion, with 25 degrees awarded.

Electrical Engineering follows at $90,482 on 18 degrees awarded, and Mechanical Engineering reaches $83,873 with 41 degrees awarded. Nursing, the largest with 178 degrees awarded, earns a median of $81,103 and ranks #245 nationally.

Social Work reaches $56,961 and holds a strong Azimuth national rank of #48, placing it #1 in Michigan. Special Education and Teaching and Teacher Education report medians of $50,078 and $48,561, respectively, reflecting the more moderate earnings typical of education fields alongside the higher returns in nursing and social work.

The university publishes earnings data for 28 bachelor's programs, and 21 hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest program, Nursing, awarded 178 degrees and shows a median of $81,103 four years after completion.

It ranks #245 nationally and #7 in Michigan. Social Work is the university's best-ranked program, holding a national rank of #48 and the top spot in Michigan at #1.

It awarded 77 degrees and its completers earn a median of $56,961. Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies ranks #27 nationally with 22 degrees awarded and a median of $50,875.

Special Education and Teaching holds a national rank of #38, awarded 82 degrees, and reports a median of $50,078.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

Computer and Information Sciences, General: $90,681
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering: $90,482
Mechanical Engineering: $83,873
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing: $81,103
Computer Systems Analysis: $72,888
Accounting and Related Services: $72,171
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions: $70,081
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions: $65,826

Explore Saginaw Valley State University program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show how earnings vary by field: a downside of $47,633, a typical outcome of $63,454, and an upside of $80,493. The highest-earning program, Computer and Information Sciences, reaches $90,681, while the lowest-earning among the largest programs, Teacher Education, sits at $48,561.

Four years after completion, graduates of Saginaw Valley State University earn a median of $63,454, which places the university in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The earnings cohort includes 1,325 completers. Graduates earn about $1,679 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that places the university in the 61st percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix range from a downside of $47,633 to an upside of $80,493. An estimated 27.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

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.