1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Southwest Minnesota State University](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Southwest Minnesota State University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Southwest Minnesota State University graduates earn? The reported median is $55,009 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$2,292 per year. Affordability is the clearer strength at Southwest Minnesota State University, while its return measures are less favorable. According to Azimuth, the return pillar sits in the 21st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $10,811 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, in the 17th 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 $3,293. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $14,104. Median earnings are $55,009 four years after completion, in the 32nd percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, with the university's figure $2,292 below it. The model and peer comparison both point to earnings below the peer median and model expectation. The modeled earnings spread across program mixes is wide, from a downside scenario of $45,073 to an upside scenario of $82,829. These scenarios describe modeled outcomes, not observed groups of graduates. Program medians four years after completion include Nursing at $83,735, Criminal Justice at $64,654, and Finance at $59,824. Those program figures help explain the broad modeled range. The program mix estimates that 27.6% of graduates continue to graduate study; this is an estimate derived from program mix, not observed enrollment. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so graduates in further study are outside that earnings snapshot. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $55,009 **Rank for difference from expectations** 17th percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Southwest Minnesota State University reported median** $55,009 **Peer schools comparable schools · $2,292 above Southwest Minnesota State University** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $10,811 above Southwest Minnesota State University** $65,820 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 could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $45,073 to $82,829, around the reported median of $55,009. Compare the lower scenario with [Southwest Minnesota State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/southwest-minnesota-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** $45,073 **Median · reported** $55,009 **Higher estimate** $82,829 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 Southwest Minnesota 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). Southwest Minnesota State University graduates’ reported earnings are $10,811 below that expectation, the 17th 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 Southwest Minnesota 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.** +$3,293 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$14,104 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$10,811 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Southwest Minnesota State University report the highest earnings? Southwest Minnesota State University has a wide spread in program earnings, from a clearly higher-earning health field to business fields at more moderate levels four years after completion. Nursing has median earnings of $83,735 and 81 degrees awarded. Criminal Justice follows with median earnings of $64,654 across 16 degrees awarded. Among the other higher-earning programs, Finance records median earnings of $59,824 and 11 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management posts $55,559 with 45 degrees awarded. The figures show that earnings vary substantially by field, even among the university’s larger and higher-earning programs. Southwest Minnesota State University awards a notable share of its bachelor’s degrees in Education, at 20.8%, alongside Business at 19.2% and Health Professions at 18.9%. Published earnings data cover 10 bachelor’s fields. Nursing awarded 81 degrees, and its completers had median earnings of $83,735 four years after completion. The program figures span several fields. Criminal Justice awarded 16 degrees and had median earnings of $64,654 four years after completion. Finance awarded 11 degrees, with median earnings of $59,824. Marketing awarded 9 degrees and had median earnings of $58,574. These figures show that earnings differ across the fields represented here. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $83,735 **Criminal Justice and Corrections** $64,654 **Finance and Financial Management Services** $59,824 **Marketing** $58,574 **Business Administration, Management and Operations** $55,559 **Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness** $54,554 **Psychology, General** $47,249 **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas** $47,219 [Explore Southwest Minnesota State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $45,073 in the downside scenario to $55,009 in the typical scenario and $82,829 in the upside scenario. Nursing anchors the high end at $83,735 four years after completion, while Teacher Education is the lowest-earning large program at $43,904. The spread shows how much modeled earnings can vary by field. The earnings picture at Southwest Minnesota State University is below the model’s expectation for similar students, despite a upside scenario. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $55,009 four years after completion. Against nonprofit four-year institutions, that earnings result falls in the 32nd percentile and draws on an earnings cohort of 565 completers. Graduates earn about $10,811 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix place typical earnings at $55,009, with a downside scenario of $45,073 and an upside scenario of $82,829. An estimated 27.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. ## 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/).