College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Texas Christian University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do TCU graduates earn?

The reported median is $76,188 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $83,615 as its benchmark; the difference is -$7,427 per year.

Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled at Texas Christian University have median earnings of $76,188. Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 85th percentile and the return in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,681 less than expects for similar students. That places earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, in the 48th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,661. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,342.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $83,615; the university is $7,427 below it.

Program choice makes a wide difference in the modeled earnings picture at Texas Christian University. The downside scenario is $57,680, while the upside scenario is $108,904; both are earnings scenarios from the program mix rather than observed groups.

At the higher end, Computer Systems Analysis has median earnings of $121,734 four years after completion, Management Science reaches $114,822, and Finance reaches $111,304. These fields help explain the upper scenario, while lower-earning program clusters sit behind the downside scenario.

Four-year earnings should be read with graduate study in view. At Texas Christian University, an estimated 26.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

The earnings measure covers federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled four years after completion, leaving those continuing their education outside that snapshot.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$76,188
Rank for difference from expectations
48th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
TCU reported median
$76,188
Peer schools comparable schools · $7,427 above TCU
$83,615
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $1,681 above TCU
$77,869

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 many TCU first-year students return?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26
Returned the following fall
93.4%

Source: Texas Christian University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $57,680 to $108,904, around the reported median of $76,188. Compare the lower scenario with TCU 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
$57,680
Median · reported
$76,188
Higher estimate
$108,904

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 TCU 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.

TCU graduates’ reported earnings are $1,681 below that expectation, the 48th 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 TCU 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.
+$10,661
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$12,342
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$1,681

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

Which fields at TCU report the highest earnings?

Texas Christian University shows a wide program-level earnings range four years after completion, making field choice especially relevant to the return picture. Computer Systems Analysis posts median earnings of $121,734 and awarded 63 degrees.

Finance, a much larger program, recorded $111,304 in median earnings with 212 degrees awarded. Other large fields sit at more moderate earnings levels.

Marketing had median earnings of $97,148 four years after completion and awarded 137 degrees. Communication and Media Studies recorded $63,531 with 123 degrees awarded.

The contrast between these fields and the higher-earning programs shows that the school-level earnings figure masks substantial variation by field.

Business accounts for 29.1% of bachelor’s degrees awarded at Texas Christian University, making business-oriented choices a central part of its program mix. Among the largest programs, four-year median earnings range widely: Finance awarded 212 degrees and reports $111,304; Nursing awarded 180 degrees and reports $89,690; Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication awarded 150 degrees and reports $71,186; Marketing awarded 137 degrees and reports $97,148; and Communication and Media Studies awarded 123 degrees and reports $63,531.

That range means the financial picture differs markedly across the university’s most common degree paths, even within its largest program family.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer Systems Analysis
$121,734
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
$114,822
Finance and Financial Management Services
$111,304
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$106,765
Real Estate
$103,547
Accounting and Related Services
$101,938
Marketing
$97,148
Engineering, General
$93,753

Explore TCU program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Field choice makes a wide difference in the earnings scenarios tied to Texas Christian University’s program mix. The downside earnings scenario is $57,680, the typical scenario is $76,188, and the upside scenario is $108,904.

Computer Systems Analysis has median earnings of $121,734 four years after completion; among the largest programs, Communication and Media Studies has $63,531. The spread shows how much the earnings picture varies by field.

At Texas Christian University, the median earnings for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled is $76,188 four years after completion. This figure, drawn from a cohort of 1,723 completers, places the university at the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,681 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical figure of $76,188, with a downside scenario of $57,680 and an upside scenario of $108,904.

An estimated 26.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

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.