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Career outcomes brief

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# The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/the-university-of-tennessee-chattanooga/)[Cost & aid](/school/the-university-of-tennessee-chattanooga/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/the-university-of-tennessee-chattanooga/admissions/)[Majors](/school/the-university-of-tennessee-chattanooga/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/the-university-of-tennessee-chattanooga/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga graduates earn?

The reported median is $57,377 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$8,233 per year.

Four years after completion, federally aided completers working and not enrolled at The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga have median earnings of $57,377. That earnings measure places in the 40th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610; the university is $8,233 below that figure. Graduates earn about $4,533 less than the model expects for similar students.

[Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,095.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,628. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 39th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

At The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, earnings scenarios run from $44,146 on the downside to $80,401 on the upside four years after completion. The range reflects scenarios based on the program mix, rather than observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, median earnings four years after completion are $92,900 in Engineering-Related Fields, $92,511 in Chemical Engineering, and $91,615 in Civil Engineering. Those fields sit well above the downside scenario, making the spread across programs clear.

Graduate study affects how the four-year earnings figure should be read. An estimated 28.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, excluding those who remain enrolled.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$57,377

**Rank for difference from expectations**
38th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga reported median**
$57,377

**Peer schools comparable schools · $8,233 above The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $4,533 above The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga**
$61,910

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 could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $44,146 to $80,401, around the reported median of $57,377. Compare the lower scenario with [The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga borrowing and monthly payments](/school/the-university-of-tennessee-chattanooga/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**
$44,146

**Median · reported**
$57,377

**Higher estimate**
$80,401

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 The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga 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).

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga graduates’ reported earnings are $4,533 below that expectation, the 38th 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 The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga 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.**
+$8,095

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$12,628

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$4,533

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

## Which fields at The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga report the highest earnings?

The top-ranked programs include high-earning engineering fields alongside lower-earning sciences. Chemistry had median earnings of $71,634 four years after completion across 24 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #61 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Engineering-Related Fields recorded $92,900 from 51 degrees awarded and ranks #9 nationally by Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Social Sciences posted $43,858 across 25 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national rank of #12 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Civil Engineering had $91,615 and 24 degrees awarded; Azimuth places it #46 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

The ranked program picture includes several fields with different earnings levels four years after completion. Azimuth identifies 20 ranked bachelor's fields at The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga among nonprofit four-year institutions.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Engineering-Related Fields #9 nationally in its field; it awarded 51 degrees, and completers had median earnings of $92,900 four years after completion. Social Sciences ranks #12 nationally in its field, with 25 degrees awarded and median earnings of $43,858 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks Civil Engineering #46 nationally in its field; it awarded 24 degrees and shows $91,615 in median earnings four years after completion. Chemistry ranks #61 nationally in its field, awarded 24 degrees, and had median earnings of $71,634 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Engineering-Related Fields**
$92,900

**Chemical Engineering**
$92,511

**Civil Engineering**
$91,615

**Mechanical Engineering**
$89,407

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$86,537

**Computer Science**
$82,644

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$77,838

**Chemistry**
$71,634

[Explore The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga program cohorts and field ranks](/school/the-university-of-tennessee-chattanooga/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix put the downside at $44,146, the typical outcome at $57,377, and the upside at $80,401. Four years after completion, Engineering-Related Fields reaches $92,900, whereas Psychology, the lowest-earning of the largest programs, stands at $44,700. The spread shows how much the earnings picture varies by field.

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga reports a median of $57,377 four years after completion among 2,356 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That is $8,233 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The median sits at the 40th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,533 less than the model expects for similar students.

[Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) sits at the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Estimated earnings scenarios from the program mix run from $44,146 on the downside to $80,401 on the upside, with $57,377 as the typical outcome.

An estimated 28.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The wide spread between the downside and upside scenarios coincides with a broad range of earnings across fields.

## 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/).