1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Santa Clara University](/school/santa-clara-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Santa Clara University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/santa-clara-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/santa-clara-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/santa-clara-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/santa-clara-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/santa-clara-university/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Santa Clara University graduates earn? The reported median is $108,517 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $40,267 per year. Santa Clara University pairs earnings above its peer median with a high return standing. Graduates earn about $23,083 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that earnings-beyond-expectations measure, the gap between graduate earnings and the model’s expectation for similar students, in the 97th 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 $11,946. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $11,137. Median earnings are $108,517 four years after completion, in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth puts the return pillar in the 99th percentile nationally. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250, with earnings $40,267 above it. The model result and peer comparison point the same way. At Santa Clara University, the earnings picture changes sharply by field rather than following a single track. The model places the downside earnings scenario at $56,467 and the upside scenario at $141,633; both are scenarios derived from the program mix, not observed graduate groups. Four years after completion, median earnings are $163,765 in Computer Engineering, $153,926 in Management Information Systems and Services, and $130,087 in Accounting. These program outcomes help explain the modeled span. Graduate study shapes how to read the four-year earnings figure. An estimated 32.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because earnings cover federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, graduates continuing study are outside that earnings snapshot. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $108,517 **Rank for difference from expectations** 97th percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Santa Clara University reported median** $108,517 **Peer schools comparable schools · $40,267 below Santa Clara University** $68,250 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $23,083 below Santa Clara University** $85,434 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 many Santa Clara University first-year students return? First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26 **Returned the following fall** 93.0% Source: Santa Clara University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention. ## How could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $56,467 to $141,633, around the reported median of $108,517. Compare the lower scenario with [Santa Clara University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/santa-clara-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** $56,467 **Median · reported** $108,517 **Higher estimate** $141,633 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 Santa Clara 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). Santa Clara University graduates’ reported earnings are $23,083 above that expectation, the 97th 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 Santa Clara 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.** +$11,946 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** +$11,137 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$23,083 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Santa Clara University report the highest earnings? Program choice separates higher-earning technical fields from more moderate-earning fields at Santa Clara University. Computer Engineering sits at the high end, with median earnings of $163,765 four years after completion and 83 degrees awarded. Management Information Systems and Services recorded $153,926 with 31 degrees awarded. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Mathematics and Computer Science #1 nationally in its field; median earnings were $147,013 four years after completion, alongside 107 degrees awarded. Management Information Systems and Services ranks #1 nationally in its field, with $153,926 in median earnings and 31 degrees awarded. The contrast shows that earnings differ substantially by field within the university. Business accounts for 24.6% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, and Santa Clara University has 13 ranked fields. Those rankings sit alongside a program mix that also includes larger fields in social science and engineering, so field-level outcomes matter more than a single campus-wide figure. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Mathematics and Computer Science #1 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions; it awarded 107 degrees and its completers had median earnings of $147,013 four years after completion. Management Information Systems and Services ranks #1 nationally in Azimuth among the same cohort, with 31 degrees awarded and median earnings of $153,926 four years after completion. The ranked fields show different earnings levels despite similarly strong national placements. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Computer Engineering** $163,765 **Management Information Systems and Services** $153,926 **Mathematics and Computer Science** $147,013 **Accounting and Related Services** $130,087 **Mechanical Engineering** $122,111 **Economics** $121,307 **Finance and Financial Management Services** $118,737 **Biomedical/Medical Engineering** $114,426 [Explore Santa Clara University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/santa-clara-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix span a downside of $56,467, a typical scenario of $108,517, and an upside of $141,633. Computer Engineering reaches $163,765 four years after completion, while Psychology, the lowest-earning among the largest programs, stands at $75,742. The spread shows how much earnings vary by field. Santa Clara University posts a schoolwide median of $108,517 four years after completion for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places those earnings in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 1,151 completers. The program-mix model’s typical scenario matches the schoolwide median, with a downside scenario of $56,467 and an upside scenario of $141,633; these are earnings scenarios, not observed graduate groups. An estimated 32.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. Graduates earn about $23,083 more than the model expects for similar students. The high earnings percentile and higher-than-expected earnings point in the same direction. ## 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/).