College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

University of Arizona Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do Arizona graduates earn?

The reported median is $67,420 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $1,810 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of University of Arizona who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $67,420. That places the institution in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That is $1,810 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $5,376 more than expects for similar students, placing that gap at the 72nd percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,817. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $5,441.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,234. Azimuth places the university at the 71st percentile for return.

The earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, show a wide range: from $48,842 on the downside to $96,708 on the upside, with $67,420 as the typical scenario. These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

Above that scenario range, Mining and Mineral Engineering graduates earn a median of $120,031 four years after completion, from 11 degrees awarded a year. Computer Science follows at $117,451, with 212 degrees awarded.

Management Information Systems and Services, at 206 degrees a year, reports $104,513.

An estimated 32.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the institution's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, this estimate indicates that a sizable portion of completers may be building additional human capital outside the earnings snapshot.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$67,420
Rank for difference from expectations
72nd percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
Arizona reported median
$67,420
Peer schools comparable schools · $1,810 below Arizona
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $5,376 below Arizona
$62,044

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 $48,842 to $96,708, around the reported median of $67,420. Compare the lower scenario with Arizona 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
$48,842
Median · reported
$67,420
Higher estimate
$96,708

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 Arizona 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.

Arizona graduates’ reported earnings are $5,376 above that expectation, the 72nd 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 Arizona 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.
+$10,817
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$5,441
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$5,376

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

Which fields at Arizona report the highest earnings?

The University of Arizona's highest-earning bachelor's program is Mining and Mineral Engineering, where completers earn a median of $120,031 four years after completion, alongside 11 degrees awarded. Computer Science follows at $117,451 with 212 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national field rank of #68.

Among the largest programs, Business Administration and Management reports median earnings of $77,951 and an Azimuth national rank of #94 on 229 degrees awarded. Communication and Media Studies reaches $72,758 and ranks #19 nationally.

In a more moderate band, Psychology awards 456 degrees and shows median earnings of $52,038, ranking #121 in its field.

The University of Arizona fields 67 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, and earnings data are published for 72 fields. Several programs hold a top-ten national rank, including Architecture and Related Services at #1 with 28 degrees awarded and a median of $55,226 four years after completion.

Another is City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning at #2 with 50 degrees awarded and a median of $76,360. Among the largest programs, Communication and Media Studies ranks #19 nationally and #1 in Arizona, with 259 degrees awarded and a median of $72,758.

Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences awarded 256 degrees, ranks #21 nationally, and shows a median of $56,045. Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies ranks #9 nationally with 251 degrees awarded and a median of $53,471.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Mining and Mineral Engineering
$120,031
Computer Science
$117,451
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$105,839
Management Information Systems and Services
$104,513
Chemical Engineering
$101,815
Engineering-Related Fields
$101,557
Finance and Financial Management Services
$100,938
Systems Engineering
$100,468

Explore Arizona program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings vary widely by field, a pattern captured in earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix. The downside earnings scenario sits at $48,842, the typical scenario at $67,420, and the upside scenario at $96,708.

Anchoring the range in named programs, Mining and Mineral Engineering graduates earn a median of $120,031 four years after completion, while the largest program, Psychology, sits at $52,038.

Four years after completion, the median earnings of University of Arizona graduates stand at $67,420, placing the university in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings cohort includes 6,571 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled.

Graduates earn about $5,376 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 72nd percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios, which reflect the university's program mix, point to a typical outcome of $67,420, with a lower-bound scenario of $48,842 and an upper-bound scenario of $96,708.

The model estimates that 32.6% 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.