1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Southern Connecticut State University](/school/southern-connecticut-state-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Southern Connecticut State University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/southern-connecticut-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/southern-connecticut-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/southern-connecticut-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/southern-connecticut-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/southern-connecticut-state-university/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Southern Connecticut State University graduates earn? The reported median is $59,787 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $2,486 per year. Southern Connecticut State University has earnings above comparable peers, with Azimuth placing its return pillar in the 56th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,096 more than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/)—the gap between graduate earnings and the model’s expectation for similar students—stand at Azimuth’s 71st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,612. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $1,484. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $117. Median earnings four years after completion are $59,787, in the 50th percentile. Comparable institutions, the same type and size, have a peer median, the middle value, of $57,301; the university is above it by $2,486. Above-expected earnings and the peer comparison point the same way. Earnings vary widely across the program mix at Southern Connecticut State University. The downside earnings scenario is $49,177, and the upside scenario is $80,050; neither represents an observed group of graduates. At the higher end, median earnings four years after completion are $98,870 in Nursing, $87,705 in Computer and Information Sciences, and $74,538 in Allied Health Professions. Those field-level results help explain the distance between the earnings scenarios. An estimated 30.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Earnings four years after completion cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so this estimate matters when reading the reported earnings figure. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $59,787 **Rank for difference from expectations** 71st percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Southern Connecticut State University reported median** $59,787 **Peer schools comparable schools · $2,486 below Southern Connecticut State University** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $5,096 below Southern Connecticut State University** $54,691 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 Southern Connecticut State University students return and finish their degrees? First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26 **Returned the following fall** 77.3% **Completed within six years** 49.9% **Pell recipients completed within six years** 43.6% Source: Southern Connecticut State University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention; B4–B11 six-year completion. Retention and completion follow different entering cohorts. ## How could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $49,177 to $80,050, around the reported median of $59,787. Compare the lower scenario with [Southern Connecticut State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/southern-connecticut-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** $49,177 **Median · reported** $59,787 **Higher estimate** $80,050 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 Southern Connecticut 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). Southern Connecticut State University graduates’ reported earnings are $5,096 above that expectation, the 71st 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 Southern Connecticut 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.** +$3,612 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** +$1,484 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$5,096 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Southern Connecticut State University report the highest earnings? The earnings spread across Southern Connecticut State University's largest programs is wide, and the highest-earning fields are not the ones that award the most degrees. Business Administration and Management, the largest program at 228 degrees awarded, shows median earnings of $63,310 four years after completion, and [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #209 nationally within its field. Liberal Arts and General Studies is the second-largest at 159 degrees awarded, with earnings of $53,411 and a national rank of #77. By contrast, Nursing awards 115 degrees a year and reports median earnings of $98,870, the highest among the university's large programs. Azimuth ranks it #82 nationally and #1 in Connecticut. Psychology, with 125 degrees awarded, sits at the more moderate end of the earnings range at $50,642. The university's strongest nationally ranked program is Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management at #9, with 20 degrees awarded and earnings of $53,522. The university has 16 nationally ranked bachelor's programs. Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management ranks #9 in its field nationally, with 20 degrees awarded and median earnings of $53,522 four years after completion. The largest program is Business Administration and Management, with 228 degrees awarded, median earnings of $63,310, and a national rank of #209. Liberal Arts and General Studies follows at 159 degrees, with median earnings of $53,411 and a national rank of #77. Communication Disorders Sciences and Services is a program at $61,336, and it ranks #43 nationally and #1 in Connecticut with 53 degrees awarded. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $98,870 **Computer and Information Sciences, General** $87,705 **Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions** $74,538 **Chemistry** $72,838 **Biology, General** $67,791 **Business Administration, Management and Operations** $63,310 **Communication Disorders Sciences and Services** $61,336 **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas** $60,780 [Explore Southern Connecticut State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/southern-connecticut-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $49,177 on the downside to $59,787 in a typical case and $80,050 on the upside. The highest-earning program, Nursing, has median earnings of $98,870 four years after completion; among the largest programs, the lowest-earning, Psychology, has $50,642. The spread shows how much earnings vary by field. Southern Connecticut State University graduates have median earnings of $59,787 four years after completion among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That school-level measure covers an earnings cohort of 2,390 completers, rather than a single field. Azimuth places the earnings figure in the 50th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. A typical earnings scenario, based on the program mix, is $59,787; it is a scenario rather than an observed group of graduates. An estimated 30.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The earnings measure and the typical scenario offer a similar central picture, while graduate study is part of the modeled program-mix context. ## 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/).