College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

University of Kansas Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do University of Kansas graduates earn?

The reported median is $69,680 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $4,070 per year.

Graduates of the University of Kansas earn about $9,632 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 82nd 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 $11,350.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $1,718. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,496.

Four years after completion, the median earnings of $69,680 sit above the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,070. Azimuth places the return in the 85th percentile nationally.

The earnings beyond expectations and the gap above the peer median point the same way, showing that the university's return profile is a clear strength.

Earnings vary substantially by program: the earnings scenarios range from $51,954 on the downside to $94,358 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

The upper end includes Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration at $125,384 four years after completion, Computer Engineering at $113,339, and Management Science at $107,635. Program choice therefore matters within the wider range.

An estimated 29.9% 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, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$69,680
Rank for difference from expectations
82nd percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
University of Kansas reported median
$69,680
Peer schools comparable schools · $4,070 below University of Kansas
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $9,632 below University of Kansas
$60,048

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 $51,954 to $94,358, around the reported median of $69,680. Compare the lower scenario with University of Kansas 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
$51,954
Median · reported
$69,680
Higher estimate
$94,358

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 University of Kansas 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.

University of Kansas graduates’ reported earnings are $9,632 above that expectation, the 82nd 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 Kansas 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.
+$11,350
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$1,718
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$9,632

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

Which fields at University of Kansas report the highest earnings?

The University of Kansas offers 44 bachelor's programs with published four-year earnings, and Azimuth ranks 40 of them nationally. The highest-earning program, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, shows a median of $125,384 four years after completion and ranks #2 in its field, with 130 degrees awarded.

Finance reaches $86,453 and ranks #62 nationally on 209 degrees awarded. Nursing follows at $78,601 with 196 degrees awarded, while Psychology, the largest program by degrees awarded at 281, reports a median of $55,329 and an Azimuth national rank of #92.

Journalism earns $62,394 and ranks #14 nationally, a strong showing for a moderate-earning field.

The university publishes earnings data for 44 bachelor's programs, 40 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. Several programs sit at the very top of their fields.

Behavioral Sciences is ranked #1 nationally and #1 in Kansas, and its completers earn a median of $58,883 four years after completion. Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration ranks #2 nationally, awarded 130 degrees, and shows a median of $125,384.

Among the largest programs, Psychology awarded 281 degrees and reports a median of $55,329. The highest-earning large program is Finance, which awarded 209 degrees, ranks #62 nationally, and shows a median of $86,453.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration
$125,384
Computer Engineering
$113,339
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
$107,635
Petroleum Engineering
$97,527
Chemical Engineering
$93,391
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
$92,335
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$92,008
Civil Engineering
$89,087

Explore University of Kansas program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

The return pillar reflects a wide spread in what graduates earn, depending on their field. Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix place the downside at $51,954, the typical outcome at $69,680, and the upside at $94,358.

Among the largest programs, Finance reaches $86,453 four years after completion, while Psychology sits at $55,329.

University of Kansas graduates who received federal aid and are working and not enrolled post a median of $69,680 four years after completion. The observed earnings cohort includes 3,494 completers.

That median sits at the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,632 more than the model expects for similar students.

The gap lands at the 82nd percentile. Earnings scenarios are estimates from the program mix, not observed percentiles or student groups.

The earnings scenarios run from a downside of $51,954 to an upside of $94,358, with a typical outcome of $69,680. An estimated 29.9% 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.