Graduates earn among the highest incomes nationally, with outcomes that significantly exceed peer expectations.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
Stanford graduates demonstrate consistent earnings growth from early to mid-career phases. Median earnings progress from $102,887 six years after enrollment to $109,851 at eight years, reaching $124,080 at the ten-year measurement point.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduates from this institution significantly outperform peers — earnings are 97% higher than similar schools.
Financial justification for the investment.
Excellent affordability. Median debt of $12,000 is well under annual earnings, enabling comfortable repayment.
Stanford graduates carry exceptionally manageable debt levels compared to national and peer benchmarks. Median student debt totals just $12,000, significantly below the peer median of $24,181.
Stanford delivers exceptional return on educational investment, ranking at the 99.9th percentile nationally among institutions we track. This exceptional tier performance reflects the combination of outstanding earnings outcomes with manageable debt levels that create favorable long-term financial conditions for graduates.
Approximately 27.4% of Stanford graduates continue to graduate or professional school, based on program mix analysis with medium confidence level. Th...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Stanford's strongest earning programs concentrate in engineering and computer science fields. Computer Science leads with median earnings of $200,950 and ranks #5 nationally, while Electrical and Electronics Engineering produces $154,251 and ranks #3 nationally.
Engineering Design graduates earn $141,630 at the #1 national rank, followed by Applied Economics at $127,416 with #10 national ranking. These programs demonstrate how Stanford's engineering excellence translates directly into superior labor market outcomes.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
Earnings outcomes show substantial upside potential across Stanford's graduate population. The distribution spans from $73,321 at the 25th percentile to $219,740 at the 75th percentile, creating a 3.0:1 ratio between top and bottom quartile outcomes.
