1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [University of Houston-Clear Lake](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # University of Houston-Clear Lake Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do University of Houston-Clear Lake graduates earn? The reported median is $59,865 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $2,564 per year. For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, University of Houston-Clear Lake has median earnings of $59,865 four years after completion. Azimuth puts that earnings measure in the 51st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, leaving the university $2,564 above that benchmark. Graduates earn about $5,656 more than the model expects for similar students. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) falls in the 73rd percentile. That gap is what graduates earn minus what the model expects for similar students. The return pillar is in the 59th 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 $2,862. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $2,794. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,911. The modeled range at University of Houston-Clear Lake is wide enough that field choice changes the earnings picture. The downside earnings scenario is $48,618, and the upside scenario is $75,554; both are estimated from the program mix rather than observed groups. At the higher end, Nursing has median earnings of $103,991 four years after completion, followed by Computer Engineering at $79,710 and Computer Science at $77,073. Those program results help explain the spread between the earnings scenarios. Further study affects the lens on four-year earnings. An estimated 31.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because the earnings figure covers completers who are working and not enrolled, it does not include those still enrolled. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $59,865 **Rank for difference from expectations** 73rd percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **University of Houston-Clear Lake reported median** $59,865 **Peer schools comparable schools · $2,564 below University of Houston-Clear Lake** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $5,656 below University of Houston-Clear Lake** $54,209 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 University of Houston-Clear Lake first-year students return? First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2024-25 **Returned the following fall** 73.1% Source: University of Houston-Clear Lake Common Data Set 2024-25, B22 retention. ## How could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $48,618 to $75,554, around the reported median of $59,865. Compare the lower scenario with [University of Houston-Clear Lake borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/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** $48,618 **Median · reported** $59,865 **Higher estimate** $75,554 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 University of Houston-Clear Lake 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). University of Houston-Clear Lake graduates’ reported earnings are $5,656 above that expectation, the 73rd 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 University of Houston-Clear Lake 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.** +$2,862 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** +$2,794 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$5,656 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at University of Houston-Clear Lake report the highest earnings? The largest programs at University of Houston-Clear Lake span a wide earnings range. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies awards 238 degrees a year, the most of any program, and its graduates earn a median of $57,065 four years after completion. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #25 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Accounting and Biology sit higher on the earnings scale. Accounting awards 109 degrees and reports median earnings of $70,134. Biology awards 104 degrees, and its graduates earn $64,555; Azimuth ranks it #80 nationally in its field. The highest-earning program is a much smaller one. Nursing graduates earn $103,991, but the program awards only 10 degrees a year. The contrast between the largest program and the best-paid one is sharp, and a student's field of study matters a great deal for earnings here. University of Houston-Clear Lake has 20 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, with earnings data available for 25 fields. The strongest rankings sit in the social and behavioral sciences, where Behavioral Sciences ranks #2 nationally and #1 in Texas. It awarded 46 degrees and its completers earned a median of $51,151 four years after completion. Criminology also stands out, ranked #35 nationally and #1 in Texas, from 39 degrees a year, and its completers earned a median of $52,087 four years after completion. Business/Commerce is ranked #19 nationally and #3 in Texas. It awarded 60 degrees, with median earnings of $71,973. The largest program is Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, at 238 degrees a year, ranked #25 nationally, and its completers earned a median of $57,065 four years after completion. The highest-earning program is Nursing, where graduates earn a median of $103,991 four years after completion, though it awards only 10 degrees a year. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $103,991 **Computer Engineering** $79,710 **Computer Science** $77,073 **Computer and Information Sciences, General** $75,617 **Natural Resources Conservation and Research** $75,258 **Finance and Financial Management Services** $74,949 **Management Information Systems and Services** $73,352 **Business/Commerce, General** $71,973 [Explore University of Houston-Clear Lake program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis The program mix yields earnings scenarios of $48,618 on the downside, $59,865 as typical, and $75,554 on the upside. Nursing has median earnings of $103,991 four years after completion, whereas Psychology, the lowest-earning of the largest programs, has $48,885. The spread shows variation by field rather than observed groups. University of Houston-Clear Lake posts earnings that sit near the middle of the national distribution, with a modeled estimate that graduates exceed expectations. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $59,865 four years after completion; the earnings cohort includes 1,799 completers. Azimuth places those median earnings in the 51st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [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, offers a separate view. Graduates earn about $5,656 more than the model expects for similar students. The typical earnings scenario, based on the program mix, is $59,865. An estimated 31.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The median earnings result and higher-than-expected earnings give different but compatible views of the outcome 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/).