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Career outcomes brief

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# University of Louisiana at Lafayette Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do University of Louisiana at Lafayette graduates earn?

The reported median is $58,638 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$6,972 per year.

For return, University of Louisiana at Lafayette lands close to the middle of the national distribution: Azimuth places it in the 51st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,454 more 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, falls in the 60th 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 $7,688.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,234. The median is $58,638 four years after completion, placing earnings in the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, with earnings $6,972 below it. The return picture is mixed: earnings exceed the model but sit below the peer median.

Earnings vary widely across the earnings scenarios and the programs represented at University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The downside scenario is $41,806, and the upside scenario is $91,263; both are earnings scenarios based on program mix rather than observed graduate groups.

At the higher-earning end, Petroleum Engineering has median earnings of $102,594 four years after completion, Chemical Engineering has $102,119, and Nursing has $91,270. Those program figures help explain the distance between the downside and upside scenarios.

Further study matters when reading the earnings figure: an estimated 28.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so those continuing their education are outside that earnings snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$58,638

**Rank for difference from expectations**
60th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**University of Louisiana at Lafayette reported median**
$58,638

**Peer schools comparable schools · $6,972 above University of Louisiana at Lafayette**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $1,454 below University of Louisiana at Lafayette**
$57,184

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 $41,806 to $91,263, around the reported median of $58,638. Compare the lower scenario with [University of Louisiana at Lafayette borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-louisiana-at-lafayette/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**
$41,806

**Median · reported**
$58,638

**Higher estimate**
$91,263

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 Louisiana at Lafayette 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 Louisiana at Lafayette graduates’ reported earnings are $1,454 above that expectation, the 60th 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 Louisiana at Lafayette 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.**
+$7,688

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$6,234

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$1,454

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

## Which fields at University of Louisiana at Lafayette report the highest earnings?

At University of Louisiana at Lafayette, program earnings vary sharply, with a large nursing program at the higher end. Nursing recorded median earnings of $91,270 four years after completion across 383 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #88 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Subject-Area Teacher Education posted $53,265 across 137 degrees awarded and ranks #54 nationally by Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. More moderate earnings appear in Liberal Arts and General Studies, with $45,010 and 297 degrees awarded; Azimuth gives the field a national rank of #143 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Psychology had median earnings of $44,574 from 121 degrees awarded and an Azimuth rank of #294 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The contrast shows that the return picture differs substantially by field.

Petroleum Engineering awards 21 degrees and has median earnings of $102,594 four years after completion. Azimuth places the field at #10 nationally within its field.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette has 29 ranked bachelor’s fields, giving program-level results a narrower focus than the full academic catalog. Architecture and Related Services holds an [Azimuth rank](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) of #3 nationally within its field, with 30 degrees awarded and median earnings of $51,546 four years after completion.

For Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, the corresponding figures are #25 nationally within its field, 59 degrees awarded, and $69,334 in median earnings four years after completion. These fields show that earnings differ substantially across the ranked programs.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Petroleum Engineering**
$102,594

**Chemical Engineering**
$102,119

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$91,270

**Mechanical Engineering**
$91,187

**Civil Engineering**
$86,128

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$84,883

**Computer Science**
$83,527

**Computer and Information Sciences, General**
$77,087

[Explore University of Louisiana at Lafayette program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-louisiana-at-lafayette/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix span a downside of $41,806, a typical result of $58,638, and an upside of $91,263. Petroleum Engineering reaches $102,594 four years after completion, while Psychology, the lowest-earning among the largest programs, is at $44,574. The spread shows substantial variation by field.

Graduate pay at University of Louisiana at Lafayette runs somewhat ahead of the model’s expectation, even as its overall earnings placement sits nearer the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,454 more than the model expects for similar students.

Median earnings are $58,638 four years after completion for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places this measure in the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, using an earnings cohort of 3,207 completers.

The typical earnings scenario matches the observed median, with a downside scenario of $41,806 and an upside scenario of $91,263. An estimated 28.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

Above-expected earnings and a middle-range earnings placement point to a mixed graduate-pay 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/).