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Career outcomes brief

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# University of Memphis Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do University of Memphis graduates earn?

The reported median is $57,507 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$8,103 per year.

Return is the weakest of the four pillars for the University of Memphis, at the 40th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion, $57,507, sit $8,103 below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That places the median at the 41st percentile nationally. Graduates earn about $2,686 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 45th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $5,439.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,125. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $789.

Earnings vary substantially across the earnings scenarios and the fields behind them. The downside earnings scenario is $44,374, the typical scenario is $57,507, and the upside scenario reaches $78,246.

At the upper end, median earnings four years after completion are $90,207 in Computer Science, $89,702 in Computer Engineering, and $89,516 in Mechanical Engineering. These field-level results show why the modeled range is wide.

An estimated 27.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so this estimate matters when reading the earnings figure: some graduates pursuing further study are outside that snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$57,507

**Rank for difference from expectations**
45th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**University of Memphis reported median**
$57,507

**Peer schools comparable schools · $8,103 above University of Memphis**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $2,686 above University of Memphis**
$60,193

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 $44,374 to $78,246, around the reported median of $57,507. Compare the lower scenario with [University of Memphis borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-memphis/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**
$44,374

**Median · reported**
$57,507

**Higher estimate**
$78,246

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 Memphis 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 Memphis graduates’ reported earnings are $2,686 below that expectation, the 45th 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 Memphis 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.**
+$5,439

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$8,125

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$2,686

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

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

At the University of Memphis, larger bachelor’s programs span markedly different median earnings four years after completion. Nursing stands at $75,444, with 296 degrees awarded; Azimuth places it #278 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Business Administration and Management records $65,045, alongside 138 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national field rank of #229. Kinesiology and Physical Education shows $50,126 and 433 degrees awarded, ranking #129 nationally by Azimuth within its field.

Psychology has median earnings of $45,700 on 195 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #262 nationally within its field. These listed fields range from higher to more moderate earnings.

The program picture includes several nationally ranked fields, though earnings differ sharply by field. University of Memphis has 35 ranked bachelor’s programs among nonprofit four-year institutions.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Engineering Technologies/Technicians #9 nationally among bachelor’s programs in engineering technologies; it awarded 40 degrees and its completers earned a median of $79,914 four years after completion. International Business ranks #50 nationally by Azimuth among bachelor’s programs in its field, with 23 degrees awarded and median earnings of $62,729 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks Fine and Studio Arts #54 nationally among bachelor’s programs in its field; 54 degrees were awarded, and median earnings were $48,064 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Science**
$90,207

**Computer Engineering**
$89,702

**Mechanical Engineering**
$89,516

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$89,515

**Biomedical/Medical Engineering**
$88,279

**Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General**
$79,914

**Civil Engineering**
$79,598

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$75,444

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

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix run from $44,374 in the downside case to $57,507 in the typical case and $78,246 in the upside case. Computer Science reaches $90,207 four years after completion, while Psychology is at $45,700. The range shows that earnings vary substantially by field.

For graduates entering the workforce, earnings sit toward the lower end of nonprofit four-year institutions. Median earnings at University of Memphis are $57,507 four years after completion; Azimuth places that figure in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings cohort contains 4,180 completers. Graduates earn about $2,686 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios based on the program mix range from $44,374 in the downside scenario to $78,246 in the upside scenario, with the typical scenario matching the reported median. An estimated 27.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The lower earnings placement and below-expected earnings point in the same direction.

## 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/).