College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Syracuse University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do Syracuse University graduates earn?

The reported median is $79,406 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $83,615 as its benchmark; the difference is -$4,209 per year.

Return leads the four Azimuth , at the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $79,406, in the 88th percentile.

That median is $4,209 below the $83,615 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size). Those graduates earn about $3,332 less than expects for similar students.

That result falls in the 42nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,701.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $11,033. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,757.

The earnings scenarios show how much program mix matters: a graduate in the downside scenario earns $59,535 four years after completion, while the upside scenario reaches $105,437, with $79,406 as the typical scenario. These are modeled from the university's program clusters, not observed groups of graduates.

Several programs post medians above the upside scenario. Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn a median of $120,773, Finance graduates earn $120,274, and Accounting graduates earn $112,682.

An estimated 28.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, a portion of graduates are outside that snapshot, which is worth weighing when reading the reported median.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$79,406
Rank for difference from expectations
42nd percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
Syracuse University reported median
$79,406
Peer schools comparable schools · $4,209 above Syracuse University
$83,615
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $3,332 above Syracuse University
$82,738

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?

The planning scenarios range from $59,535 to $105,437, around the reported median of $79,406. Compare the lower scenario with Syracuse University borrowing and monthly payments 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
$59,535
Median · reported
$79,406
Higher estimate
$105,437

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 Syracuse 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.

Syracuse University graduates’ reported earnings are $3,332 below that expectation, the 42nd 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 Syracuse University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$7,701
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$11,033
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$3,332

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at Syracuse University report the highest earnings?

The five largest programs at Syracuse University show a clear split between high-earning business and technology fields and more moderate-earning social science and communication fields. Finance graduates report median earnings of $120,274 four years after completion, with 227 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks it #16 nationally within its field. Information Science/Studies is another strong performer, with median earnings of $104,842 and 188 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks it #6 nationally. At the more moderate end, Psychology is the largest program at 265 degrees awarded, with median earnings of $65,694.

Azimuth ranks it #20 nationally. Economics reports $83,649 across 226 degrees awarded, ranking #90 nationally.

Syracuse University has 45 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, with the largest, Psychology, awarding 265 degrees and earning a median of $65,694 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #20 nationally and #3 in New York.

Finance is the second-largest program, awarding 227 degrees, and its graduates earn a median of $120,274, placing it #16 nationally. Several programs rank in the top five nationally within their fields.

Public Administration is ranked #1 with 85 degrees awarded. Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services is ranked #1 with 27 degrees awarded.

The highest-earning program is Computer and Information Sciences, where graduates earn a median of $120,773 four years after completing a degree.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$120,773
Finance and Financial Management Services
$120,274
Accounting and Related Services
$112,682
Computer Engineering
$110,988
Information Science/Studies
$104,842
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
$99,521
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$91,472
Mechanical Engineering
$91,438

Explore Syracuse University program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $59,535, a typical outcome of $79,406, and an upside of $105,437. The spread is wide, and the program-level data shows why: Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $120,773 four years after completion, while Psychology, the largest program, stands at $65,694.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Syracuse University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $79,406. Azimuth places that figure in the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The measurement covers a cohort of 4,371 completers. Graduates earn about $3,332 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $59,535 on the downside to $105,437 on the upside, with $79,406 as the typical outcome. Based on the program mix, an estimated 28.9% of graduates from Syracuse University continue to graduate study.

Those students are not part of the earnings cohort, which counts only completers who are working and not enrolled.

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.