Graduates of Santa Clara University earn median 4-year earnings of $108,517, placing Santa Clara University in the 99.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $23,786 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Santa Clara University in the 97.4 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Santa Clara University #18 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at Santa Clara University is anchored by Business, which accounts for 24% of degrees and consistently drives the institution's strongest financial outcomes. Finance stands out as the highest aggregate-return program, combining substantial cohort scale with strong four-year pay — a combination that shapes the institution's overall earnings profile. The Finance program graduates 160 students with median earnings of $118,737 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #12 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology. Communication and Media Studies and Psychology, General round out the high-earning tier, with graduates earning $84,206 and $75,742 respectively four years after enrollment — both well above the national benchmark for their fields. Programs in Social Sciences (13% of graduates) and Engineering (12% of graduates) contribute additional breadth, though the institution's earnings signature is most concentrated in its business and professional fields, which align closely with CA's high-demand labor markets in technology, finance, and consulting.
Graduates of Santa Clara University earn median 4-year earnings of $108,517, placing Santa Clara University in the 99.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $23,786 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Santa Clara University in the 97.4 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Santa Clara University #18 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at Santa Clara University is anchored by Business, which accounts for 24% of degrees and consistently drives the institution's strongest financial outcomes. Finance stands out as the highest aggregate-return program, combining substantial cohort scale with strong four-year pay — a combination that shapes the institution's overall earnings profile. The Finance program graduates 160 students with median earnings of $118,737 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #12 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology. Communication and Media Studies and Psychology, General round out the high-earning tier, with graduates earning $84,206 and $75,742 respectively four years after enrollment — both well above the national benchmark for their fields. Programs in Social Sciences (13% of graduates) and Engineering (12% of graduates) contribute additional breadth, though the institution's earnings signature is most concentrated in its business and professional fields, which align closely with CA's high-demand labor markets in technology, finance, and consulting.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Santa Clara University earn median 4-year earnings of $108,517, placing Santa Clara University in the 99.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $23,786 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Santa Clara University in the 97.4 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Santa Clara University #18 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at Santa Clara University is anchored by Business, which accounts for 24% of degrees and consistently drives the institution's strongest financial outcomes. Finance stands out as the highest aggregate-return program, combining substantial cohort scale with strong four-year pay — a combination that shapes the institution's overall earnings profile. The Finance program graduates 160 students with median earnings of $118,737 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #12 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology. Communication and Media Studies and Psychology, General round out the high-earning tier, with graduates earning $84,206 and $75,742 respectively four years after enrollment — both well above the national benchmark for their fields. Programs in Social Sciences (13% of graduates) and Engineering (12% of graduates) contribute additional breadth, though the institution's earnings signature is most concentrated in its business and professional fields, which align closely with CA's high-demand labor markets in technology, finance, and consulting.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Santa Clara University's program mix is anchored in business and technology-oriented fields — a signature well suited to its location in Silicon Valley and its identity as a Jesuit research university with strong industry ties. Business forms the core of the institution's degree output, complemented by meaningful concentrations in Social Sciences (13% of graduates) and Engineering (12% of graduates). Across 36 programs serving roughly 1,570 students annually, 15 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold — a focused portfolio that concentrates outcomes rather than spreading them thin. The strongest program by aggregate return is Finance, which combines meaningful cohort scale with competitive four-year earnings, making it a key economic driver for Santa Clara University graduates. Among the most popular programs, Finance program graduates 160 students annually with median earnings of $118,737 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks it #12 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Communication and Media Studies and Psychology, General round out the high-enrollment tier, each delivering solid early-career pay that reflects the institution's proximity to one of the country's most active technology and finance labor markets. For the highest-earning programs, Computer Engineering leads with median earnings of $163,765 four years after enrollment — Azimuth ranks it #6 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mathematics and Computer Science and Accounting follow closely, both in fields where graduates enter the workforce directly and earnings reflect national labor-market demand rather than graduate-school deferral. Several programs at Santa Clara University are high-mobility, direct-to-workforce pathways — particularly in engineering, computer science, and finance — where four-year earnings capture the bulk of the career trajectory. Others, including programs in the social sciences and psychology, tend toward graduate-school-dependent paths where early earnings undercount long-run outcomes. The provides useful context for how Santa Clara University's dominant program families align with national labor-market demand, and the methodology explains how rankings weight cohort scale alongside earnings.
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Santa Clara University earn median 4-year earnings of $108,517, placing Santa Clara University in the 99.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $23,786 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Santa Clara University in the 97.4 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Santa Clara University #18 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at Santa Clara University is anchored by Business, which accounts for 24% of degrees and consistently drives the institution's strongest financial outcomes. Finance stands out as the highest aggregate-return program, combining substantial cohort scale with strong four-year pay — a combination that shapes the institution's overall earnings profile. The Finance program graduates 160 students with median earnings of $118,737 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #12 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology. Communication and Media Studies and Psychology, General round out the high-earning tier, with graduates earning $84,206 and $75,742 respectively four years after enrollment — both well above the national benchmark for their fields. Programs in Social Sciences (13% of graduates) and Engineering (12% of graduates) contribute additional breadth, though the institution's earnings signature is most concentrated in its business and professional fields, which align closely with CA's high-demand labor markets in technology, finance, and consulting.
