1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Stephen F Austin State University](/school/stephen-f-austin-state-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Stephen F Austin State University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated October 1, 2026 [Overview](/school/stephen-f-austin-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/stephen-f-austin-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/stephen-f-austin-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/stephen-f-austin-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/stephen-f-austin-state-university/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Stephen F Austin State University graduates earn? The reported median is $55,013 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$2,288 per year. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,013, at the 33rd percentile nationally. That is $2,288 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the university at the 43rd percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,849 more than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 62nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,295. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $446. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $421. Program choice corresponds with a broad range in the earnings scenarios at Stephen F Austin State University. The downside earnings scenario is $44,964 and the upside scenario is $70,259, rather than observed outcomes for separate groups of graduates. The higher-earning fields show one part of that variation: Nursing completers have median earnings of $84,107 four years after completion, Engineering Physics completers have $80,086, and Computer and Information Sciences completers have $75,271. An estimated 27.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. Because four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, those continuing their education are outside that snapshot. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $55,013 **Rank for difference from expectations** 62nd percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Stephen F Austin State University reported median** $55,013 **Peer schools comparable schools · $2,288 above Stephen F Austin State University** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $1,849 below Stephen F Austin State University** $53,164 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 Stephen F Austin State University first-year students return? First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26 **Returned the following fall** 72.0% Source: Stephen F Austin State University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention. ## How could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $44,964 to $70,259, around the reported median of $55,013. Compare the lower scenario with [Stephen F Austin State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/stephen-f-austin-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** $44,964 **Median · reported** $55,013 **Higher estimate** $70,259 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 Stephen F Austin 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). Stephen F Austin State University graduates’ reported earnings are $1,849 above that expectation, the 62nd 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 Stephen F Austin 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.** +$2,295 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$446 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$1,849 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Stephen F Austin State University report the highest earnings? Program choice matters here because higher-earning and more moderate-earning fields appear side by side. At the higher-earning end, [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Nursing #232 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field; median earnings four years after completion are $84,107 from 136 degrees awarded. Computer and Information Sciences records $75,271 on 54 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks the field #175 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Music has median earnings of $52,341 four years after completion, 76 degrees awarded, and an Azimuth rank of #21 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. At the more moderate end, Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management shows $56,437, 21 degrees awarded, and an Azimuth national field rank of #1 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program choice matters here because the leading ranked fields show different earnings four years after completion. Azimuth lists 27 ranked bachelor's programs among nonprofit four-year institutions. Its best placement is Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management, ranked #1 nationally, with 21 degrees awarded and median earnings of $56,437 four years after completion. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Forestry #15 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions; it awarded 36 degrees and has median earnings of $55,786. Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences ranks #18 nationally through Azimuth, with 106 degrees awarded and $44,600 in median earnings. Azimuth ranks Music #21 nationally; it awarded 76 degrees and shows $52,341 in median earnings. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $84,107 **Engineering Physics** $80,086 **Computer and Information Sciences, General** $75,271 **Accounting and Related Services** $69,635 **Finance and Financial Management Services** $65,535 **Business Administration, Management and Operations** $62,185 **Business/Commerce, General** $61,686 **Communication Disorders Sciences and Services** $61,476 [Explore Stephen F Austin State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/stephen-f-austin-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Program mix yields a broad modeled earnings range rather than a single outcome. The downside, typical, and upside earnings scenarios are $44,964, $55,013, and $70,259. At the high end, Nursing has median earnings of $84,107 four years after completion, whereas Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences is at $44,600 among the largest programs. The spread shows how field choice shapes the modeled range. For graduates of Stephen F Austin State University, the central earnings figure is $55,013 four years after completion. Azimuth places that median in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 2,950 completers. Graduates earn about $1,849 more than the model expects for similar students. Program-mix earnings scenarios range from $44,964 in the downside scenario to $70,259 in the upside scenario. An estimated 27.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The lower earnings percentile and above-expected earnings point to a mixed graduate earnings picture. ## 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/).