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Career outcomes brief

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# University of Maryland-College Park Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do UMD graduates earn?

The reported median is $84,365 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $18,755 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $84,365, at the 92nd percentile. That is $18,755 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $2,584 more than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 65th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $14,868. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,284.

Azimuth places the university at the 90th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $60,514 on the downside to $123,659 on the upside. These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, Computer Engineering graduates earn $152,422 four years after completion, from 117 degrees awarded a year. Computer Science, the largest program, reports $137,931 from 954 degrees awarded.

An estimated 29.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university'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**
$84,365

**Rank for difference from expectations**
64th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**UMD reported median**
$84,365

**Peer schools comparable schools · $18,755 below UMD**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $2,584 below UMD**
$81,781

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 UMD students return and finish their degrees?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

**Returned the following fall**
96.6%

**Completed within six years**
88.3%

**Pell recipients completed within six years**
80.1%

Source: University of Maryland-College Park Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention; B4–B11 six-year completion. Retention and completion follow different entering cohorts.

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $60,514 to $123,659, around the reported median of $84,365. Compare the lower scenario with [UMD borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-maryland-college-park/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**
$60,514

**Median · reported**
$84,365

**Higher estimate**
$123,659

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 UMD 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).

UMD graduates’ reported earnings are $2,584 above that expectation, the 64th 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 UMD 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.**
+$14,868

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$12,284

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$2,584

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

## Which fields at UMD report the highest earnings?

University of Maryland-College Park fields 48 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, led by Criminology at #1 with 397 degrees awarded and median earnings of $67,258 four years after completion. Agricultural Engineering ranks #3 nationally and #1 in Maryland, awarding 95 degrees with a median of $93,440.

The highest-earning large program is Computer Science, which awards 954 degrees and reaches a median of $137,931, ranking #29 nationally. By contrast, Biology awards 554 degrees and reports median earnings of $64,867, with an Azimuth national rank of #56.

Psychology rounds out the largest programs at $57,575 and a national rank of #57 on 408 degrees awarded.

University of Maryland-College Park has 48 ranked programs, and the five largest by degrees awarded show a wide earnings range. Computer Science leads with 954 degrees awarded and a median of $137,931 four years after completion, ranking #29 nationally and #1 in Maryland.

Information Science/Studies awarded 623 degrees and its completers earn a median $109,092, good for #4 in the nation. Biology awarded 554 degrees with median earnings of $64,867, ranking #56 nationally.

Public Health and Psychology round out the largest programs, with 458 and 408 degrees awarded respectively. Their completers earn medians of $72,328 (ranked #14) and $57,575 (ranked #57).

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Engineering**
$152,422

**Computer Science**
$137,931

**Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods**
$111,649

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
$110,648

**Information Science/Studies**
$109,092

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$107,834

**Chemical Engineering**
$102,149

**Mechanical Engineering**
$100,003

[Explore UMD program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-maryland-college-park/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show how earnings vary by field: a downside of $60,514, a typical outcome of $84,365, and an upside reaching $123,659. The highest-earning program, Computer Engineering, reaches $152,422 at the high end, while among the largest programs Psychology sits at $57,575 at the lower end.

At University of Maryland-College Park, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled four years after completing a degree report median earnings of $84,365. That is $18,755 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The earnings cohort includes 5,975 completers. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that figure sits in the 92nd percentile.

Graduates earn about $2,584 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $60,514 on the downside to $123,659 on the upside, with typical earnings at $84,365.

An estimated 29.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

## 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/).