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Career outcomes brief

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# University of Idaho Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do University of Idaho graduates earn?

The reported median is $60,330 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $3,029 per year.

Mobility is strongest at University of Idaho, but return is more mixed. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $759 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap from the model's expectation for similar students, sit in the 58th 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 $7,271. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,512.

Median earnings are $60,330 four years after completion, in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That is $3,029 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $57,301.

Program choice marks a wide modeled earnings spread at University of Idaho. The earnings scenarios run from $43,394 in the downside case to $83,315 in the upside case, with a typical scenario of $60,330.

They describe possibilities based on the program mix rather than observed groups. The higher-earning fields illustrate that range four years after completion: Computer Science completers earn a median of $103,530, Electrical Engineering completers earn $94,484, and Mechanical Engineering completers earn $86,415. Those program figures show why the modeled range is broad.

Program mix indicates that an estimated 30.3% of graduates continue to graduate study; this is a modeled estimate, not observed enrollment. Because the four-year earnings measure includes completers working and not enrolled, it does not describe those continuing their education.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$60,330

**Rank for difference from expectations**
58th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**University of Idaho reported median**
$60,330

**Peer schools comparable schools · $3,029 below University of Idaho**
$57,301

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $759 below University of Idaho**
$59,571

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 $43,394 to $83,315, around the reported median of $60,330. Compare the lower scenario with [University of Idaho borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-idaho/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**
$43,394

**Median · reported**
$60,330

**Higher estimate**
$83,315

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 Idaho 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 Idaho graduates’ reported earnings are $759 above that expectation, the 58th 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 Idaho 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.**
+$7,271

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$6,512

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$759

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

## Which fields at University of Idaho report the highest earnings?

The nationally ranked programs at University of Idaho include higher- and moderate-earning fields four years after completion. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management #17 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field; 24 degrees were awarded, and median earnings were $43,171.

Azimuth ranks Forestry #4 nationally in its field, with 38 degrees awarded and median earnings of $64,392. Azimuth ranks Graphic Communications #8 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field; it awarded 24 degrees, and median earnings were $49,188.

Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services ranks #11 nationally through Azimuth, with 21 degrees awarded and $60,241 in median earnings. Four-year earnings differ by field.

The program picture includes several nationally ranked fields with different earnings levels, so the major matters here. Azimuth assigns national ranks to 24 bachelor’s programs at University of Idaho.

Forestry ranks #4 nationally in its field, with 38 degrees awarded and median earnings of $64,392 four years after completion. Graphic Communications ranks #8 nationally in its field, with 24 degrees awarded and median earnings of $49,188 four years after completion.

Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services ranks #11 nationally in its field, with 21 degrees awarded and median earnings of $60,241 four years after completion. These ranked fields include forestry, graphic communications, and foods, nutrition, and related services.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Science**
$103,530

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$94,484

**Mechanical Engineering**
$86,415

**Civil Engineering**
$86,310

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$81,967

**Agricultural Business and Management**
$80,690

**Chemical Engineering**
$80,558

**Business/Managerial Economics**
$78,254

[Explore University of Idaho program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-idaho/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Program choice shows a wide set of earnings scenarios. Grounded in the program mix, the downside earnings scenario is $43,394, the typical scenario is $60,330, and the upside scenario is $83,315.

The highest-earning program, Computer Science, has median earnings of $103,530 four years after completion; among the largest programs, Psychology has the lowest earnings at $42,825. These scenarios show variation by field rather than observed groups.

At University of Idaho, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $60,330 four years after completion. Azimuth places this figure in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301; the university stands above it by $3,029. The cohort includes 1,909 completers.

Graduates earn about $759 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Program-mix earnings scenarios run from $43,394 in the downside case to $83,315 in the upside case; the typical scenario matches the overall median.

An estimated 30.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. Earnings sit above the peer median yet effectively at the model's expected level.

## 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/).