College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do UMN graduates earn?

The reported median is $71,941 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $6,331 per year.

At University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, completers earn about $5,833 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, median earnings for working and not enrolled completers are $71,941, a level in the 79th percentile nationally.

The median is above the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,331. That places the return in the 81st 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 $12,482. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,649.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,323. Both measures align, with pay above the peer median and earnings beyond the model's expectation.

Earnings four years after completion vary widely by field at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, a spread captured by the earnings scenarios. The typical earnings scenario sits at $71,941, while the downside scenario is $53,789 and the upside reaches $99,824.

The highest-earning programs show what the upper end looks like in practice. Computer Engineering completers earn a median of $119,781, Computer Science graduates reach $111,661, and Computer Systems Analysis completers earn $104,839.

That last program, with 148 degrees awarded, also carries a national rank of #1 in its field.

An estimated 33.9% 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
$71,941
Rank for difference from expectations
73rd percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
UMN reported median
$71,941
Peer schools comparable schools · $6,331 below UMN
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $5,833 below UMN
$66,108

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 $53,789 to $99,824, around the reported median of $71,941. Compare the lower scenario with UMN 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
$53,789
Median · reported
$71,941
Higher estimate
$99,824

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 UMN 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.

UMN graduates’ reported earnings are $5,833 above that expectation, the 73rd 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 UMN 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.
+$12,482
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$6,649
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$5,833

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

Which fields at UMN report the highest earnings?

The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities awards bachelor's degrees across 84 fields with published four-year earnings, and Azimuth ranks 74 of them nationally. The highest-earning program, Computer Engineering, shows a median of $119,781 four years after completion, though it awarded only 61 degrees.

The largest program, Computer Science, awarded 533 degrees and its completers earn a median of $111,661, ranking #62 nationally in the field. Finance follows with 328 degrees awarded, median earnings of $98,279, and an Azimuth national rank of #37.

The second-largest program, Psychology, reports a more moderate median of $58,449 on 523 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #44. The earnings spread between a high-earning field like Computer Science and a larger, moderate-earning field like Psychology is wide, reflecting the different returns available across the university's program mix.

The university publishes earnings data for 84 bachelor's programs, 74 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. Two programs sit at #1 nationally: Education, with 203 degrees awarded and a median of $67,795 four years after completion, and Computer Systems Analysis, with 148 degrees awarded and a median of $104,839.

Among the largest programs, Computer Science awarded 533 degrees and ranks #62 nationally, with a median of $111,661. Psychology awarded 523 degrees, ranks #44 nationally, and shows a median of $58,449.

Finance rounds out the large programs with 328 degrees awarded, a national rank of #37, and a median of $98,279.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer Engineering
$119,781
Computer Science
$111,661
International Business
$108,566
Computer Systems Analysis
$104,839
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
$100,554
Finance and Financial Management Services
$98,279
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
$97,611
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$97,575

Explore UMN program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show how earnings vary by field: a downside scenario of $53,789, a typical scenario of $71,941, and an upside scenario of $99,824. Anchoring the range in named programs, Computer Engineering reaches $119,781 at the high end, while Psychology sits at $58,449.

Four years after completing a degree at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $71,941. That figure sits $6,331 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the university's earnings in the 79th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 8,856 completers. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, show a range from a downside of $53,789 to an upside of $99,824, with a typical scenario of $71,941.

An estimated 33.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix, so the four-year earnings picture captures most but not all completers. Graduates earn about $5,833 more than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 73rd percentile.

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.