Stanford University Outcomes: $137K Median Earnings (2026)

How much do Stanford University graduates earn?

The reported median is $136,959 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $68,709 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $136,959, at the 99th percentile nationally. That is $68,709 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $40,186 more than expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 99th percentile.

Azimuth places the university in the 99th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $9,357.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $30,829. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $6,902.

The earnings scenarios for Stanford University span a wide range, from a downside of $54,490 to an upside of $183,471 four years after completion. That spread reflects the variation across the university's 10 fields with published earnings data.

The highest-earning programs anchor the upper end of the range. Computer Science completers earn a median of $214,907, and Cognitive Science graduates reach $131,650.

Mechanical Engineering completers earn a median of $117,072, rounding out the top three fields.

An estimated 32.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $136,959
Rank for difference from expectations: 99th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Stanford University reported median: $136,959
Peer schools comparable schools · $68,709 below Stanford University: $68,250
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $40,186 below Stanford University: $96,773

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.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $54,490
Median · reported: $136,959
Higher estimate: $183,471

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 explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Stanford 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.

Stanford University graduates’ reported earnings are $40,186 above that expectation, the 99th 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 Stanford University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Stanford University report the highest earnings?

At Stanford University, the largest program also has the highest median earnings four years after completion. Computer Science is the largest program, with 277 degrees awarded and median earnings of $214,907 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #4 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Human Biology awards 114 degrees and its graduates earn $81,529, a more moderate figure.

Azimuth ranks it #2 nationally. Economics and Engineering sit between the two, with 108 and 91 degrees awarded and earnings of $112,700 and $115,206, respectively. Azimuth ranks Economics #34 and Engineering #1 nationally.

Stanford University has 5 nationally ranked bachelor's programs among nonprofit four-year institutions. The five largest programs all report median earnings above the national median for their fields.

Computer Science is the largest, with 277 degrees awarded and median earnings of $214,907 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #4 nationally.

Human Biology follows at 114 degrees awarded and median earnings of $81,529, ranked #2 nationally. Economics awards 108 degrees, with median earnings of $112,700 and a national rank of #34.

Engineering and Cognitive Science complete the top five, with Engineering ranked #1 nationally and Cognitive Science ranked #2.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show how earnings vary by field: the downside scenario sits at $54,490, the typical scenario at $136,959, and the upside scenario reaches $183,471. Among the largest programs, Computer Science graduates earn a median of $214,907 four years after completion, while Human Biology sits at $81,529, anchoring the wide spread in named fields.

Four years after completion, the median earnings of Stanford University graduates reach $136,959, a figure drawn from 1,096 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That places the university in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $40,186 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 99th percentile nationally. The university's program mix yields a wide range of earnings scenarios: a typical outcome of $136,959, a downside scenario of $54,490, and an upside scenario of $183,471.

An estimated 32.9% of programs' graduates continue to graduate study, a share derived from program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, 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.