College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of Nebraska at Omaha

NELarge public institution · Overall rank #186 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places the university in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of Nebraska at Omaha is a public university in Omaha, Nebraska, where the degree mix is led by Business and Liberal Arts & General Studies. Affordability is the strongest , well above average, and mobility is close behind it.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the model attributes that to the factors it measures—field of study, enrollment and the local labor market. The unexplained remainder subtracts.

Return is above average, the weakest of the four pillars, while the typical graduate earns below the median at comparable schools. The net price for the lowest income band sits well below the published cost, and the highest band pays closer to it.

Pell students complete within a few points of the overall rate, and mobility is well above average. The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study.

A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are much smaller.

University of Nebraska at Omaha at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
87.0%
Six-year completion[2]
47.1%
Four-year earnings[3]
$60,448

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$12,324
Median student debt[4]
$19,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$15,945

University of Nebraska at Omaha rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

University of Nebraska at Omaha is a public university in Omaha, Nebraska, enrolling 11,488 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the top fifth of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The university admits 87.0% of applicants, a rate above the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 77.9% return for a second year and 47.1% finish within six years.

Those figures run below the peer medians of 83.1% and 65.0%. An estimated 34.9% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, and the six-year rate describes the first-time, full-time minority.

The four pillars sit close together, with affordability the strongest and return the weakest. Mobility and access fall between them, and no single dimension pulls far ahead of the others.

The shape is a broad-access public campus where the pillars are tightly grouped.

Affordability is the clearest part of University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Azimuth profile, with mobility close behind. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places affordability in the 85th percentile and mobility in the 85th percentile.

Access stands in the 81st percentile, while return, the weakest pillar, is in the 67th percentile. Strong affordability and mobility sit alongside a more moderate return result.

The middle 50% of submitted ACT scores fell between 19 and 26. 34.6% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

Azimuth ranks University of Nebraska at Omaha #284 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete at 45.7%, 1.4 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (47.1%).

Azimuth ranks the university #217 for mobility. Graduates earn about $3,969 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

University of Nebraska at Omaha rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#186

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 85
Access & reach
National percentile: 81
Affordability
National percentile: 85
Return on investment
National percentile: 67

Top-ranked majors

  1. Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other#2
  2. Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management#4
  3. Homeland Security#7

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of Nebraska at Omaha briefing

University of Nebraska at Omaha cost & financial aid[6][7]

At University of Nebraska at Omaha, the published price is moderated for aid recipients, with an average net price below that of comparable schools. The published cost of attendance is $21,120.

In-state tuition and fees are $8,718, and room and board are $12,130. Out-of-state tuition and fees are $23,206.

For aid recipients, , what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,441. Financial aid reduces the published cost by $7,679 on average.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634; the university’s average net price is below it by $2,193. Azimuth ranks the university #206 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

A lower average net price and that affordability standing point in the same direction.

The published cost of attendance is $21,120. Azimuth ranks University of Nebraska at Omaha #206 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,534 for families earning under $30,000, $10,614 for those earning $30,001 to $48,000, $12,324 for the $48,001 to $75,000 band, $15,540 for the $75,001 to $110,000 band, and $19,466 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,932.

Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $13,441. That is $2,193 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,000 in federal student loans, $1,076 below the $20,076 peer median. About 74.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $15,945 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $216 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$12,324

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of Nebraska at Omaha

At University of Nebraska at Omaha, borrowing is widespread, but typical federal debt for completers sits below that at comparable schools. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,000.

Federal loans are used by 74.3% of federal aid recipients. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, placing the university's median $1,076 below it.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $15,945.

The investment picture combines above-expected earnings with debt below the peer median. Median earnings at University of Nebraska at Omaha are $60,448 four years after completion, placing the university in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, according to Azimuth.

Graduates earn about $3,969 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Program-mix earnings scenarios range from $46,781 in a downside case to $77,886 in an upside case, with the typical scenario matching the observed median. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $19,000, $1,076 below the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $216 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings and lower debt point in the same direction.

The separate parent-borrower population has median Parent PLUS borrowing of $15,945. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $216 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$19,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$15,945

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$216/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$203/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / University of Nebraska at Omaha briefing

University of Nebraska at Omaha career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

University of Nebraska at Omaha has a divided return record: graduates earn about $3,969 more than the model expects for similar students. That earnings-beyond-expectations measure—the gap between graduate earnings and the model’s expectation for similar students—falls in Azimuth’s 68th 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 $7,468. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,499.

Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $60,448, in the 53rd percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, leaving earnings $5,162 below it.

Azimuth places the return pillar in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The return picture is mixed: earnings exceed the model’s expectation but sit below the peer median.

Graduate earnings sit near the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions, even as the model places them above expectations for similar students. University of Nebraska at Omaha has median earnings of $60,448 four years after completion among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled.

Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 2,903 completers. The typical scenario matches the observed median and is a scenario based on the program mix, not an observed graduate group.

An estimated 29.4% continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. Graduates earn about $3,969 more than the model expects for similar students.

The middle-range earnings level and higher-than-expected result point to different parts of the return picture.

Federally aided graduates of University of Nebraska at Omaha earn a median of $60,448 four years after completing a degree, at the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. This median trails the $65,610 level for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,162.

For return, Azimuth places the university at #482 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,969 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the earnings-beyond-expectations gap at the 68th percentile nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. This positive gap holds even though raw earnings sit below the median for comparable institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,468. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,499.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,509. The five largest programs are in liberal arts, criminal justice and teacher education, while the highest-earning completions cluster in computing and aviation technology.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix place the typical outcome at $60,448, with a downside of $46,781 and an upside of $77,886. An estimated 29.4% of graduates continue on to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Program choice corresponds with a wide modeled earnings span at University of Nebraska at Omaha. The downside earnings scenario is $46,781, and the upside scenario is $77,886; both are estimated from the program mix rather than observed groups.

Among individual fields, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management earns $114,504, Computer Science earns $107,248, and Information Science/Studies earns $82,883 four years after completion. The scenario endpoints and field medians show why the schoolwide figure does not describe every path equally.

At University of Nebraska at Omaha, lower borrowing relative to comparable institutions gives the financial picture a favorable starting point, and graduates exceed model expectations. For aid recipients, average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,441.

The published cost of attendance is $21,120, and aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,000.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, and the university’s debt figure is below it by $1,076. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $216 a month if repaid over ten years.

Graduates earn about $3,969 more than the model expects for similar students. Lower-than-peer debt and above-expected earnings point in the same direction, even though published cost and aid-recipient net price describe different parts of the cost picture.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$7,468
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$3,499
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$3,969

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

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / University of Nebraska at Omaha briefing

University of Nebraska at Omaha acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

University of Nebraska at Omaha admitted 87.0% of applicants, above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The rate describes the reported outcome for an applicant pool, rather than an individual admission decision.

Admissions
Admission rate
87.0%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Nebraska at Omaha briefing

What are the largest majors at University of Nebraska at Omaha?[12]

Four years after completion, Homeland Security has median earnings of $64,061 and 40 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #7 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management has the highest median earnings at $114,504 with 39 degrees awarded. Azimuth places it #4 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs is more moderate at $58,250 in median earnings and 50 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #2 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Air Transportation awards 36 degrees and has median earnings of $75,314 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #21 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. These programs show how field choice can coincide with different earnings.

University of Nebraska at Omaha has 26 ranked bachelor’s fields, including programs with strong national standing. Azimuth ranks Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs #2 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions; it awarded 50 degrees, and completers had median earnings of $58,250 four years after completion.

University of Nebraska at Omaha awards bachelor's degrees across 26 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 29 with published four-year earnings data. The program mix is anchored by Business, which accounts for 16.6% of degrees awarded, and Liberal Arts & General Studies at 15.8%.

The largest single programs are Liberal Arts and General Studies at 399 degrees awarded, Criminal Justice at 221, and Teacher Education at 160. Liberal Arts and General Studies, the largest program, ranks #1 in Nebraska within its field and graduates earn a median of $55,947 four years after completion.

Criminal Justice ranks #43 nationally and #1 in Nebraska within its field, with median earnings of $57,957. The highest-earning program is a much smaller one.

Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management graduates earn $114,504 four years after completion, from 39 degrees awarded a year. Computer Science is the second-highest-earning program, at $107,248 from 84 degrees awarded.

The pattern is one of concentrated strength in a few large programs that rank well in Nebraska, alongside a handful of smaller, high-earning technical fields. 19.1% of degrees awarded are in STEM, and the highest earnings come from computing and information technology programs rather than from the largest departments.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 399 degrees awarded
$55,947
Criminal Justice and Corrections 221 degrees awarded
$57,957
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 160 degrees awarded
$48,486
Psychology, General 149 degrees awarded
$50,826
Biology, General 121 degrees awarded
$62,982
Finance and Financial Management Services 114 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / University of Nebraska at Omaha briefing

How does University of Nebraska at Omaha serve students from different backgrounds?

Completion is uneven across the first-time full-time cohort: the six-year graduation rate is 47.1%, while Pell recipients complete within six years at 45.7%, below the overall rate by 1.4 percentage points. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offer a separate outcome measure. Graduates earn about $3,969 more than the model expects for similar students.

Azimuth places that measure in the 68th percentile nationally, so the completion gap and higher-than-expected earnings point in different directions.

At University of Nebraska at Omaha, Pell Grant recipients make up 34.6% of undergraduates, and its 11,488 undergraduates include an estimated 34.9% who enter as transfers or part-time students. The university admitted 87.0% of applicants, adding another point of entry for prospective undergraduates.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell participation, transfer entry, and the admission rate describe access across a sizable undergraduate population.

06 / University of Nebraska at Omaha briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Nebraska at Omaha?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Admissions peerUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln87.5% admitted
Comparison with University of Nebraska at Omaha
MeasureUniversity of Nebraska at OmahaUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,448$62,769+$2,321 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha
Average annual net price$13,441$17,747+$4,306 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha · higher cost
Admission rate87.0%87.5%
Explore University of Nebraska-Lincoln →
Higher-admission alternativeDoane University98.0% admitted
Comparison with University of Nebraska at Omaha
MeasureUniversity of Nebraska at OmahaDoane University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,448$58,227-$2,221 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha
Average annual net price$13,441$26,364+$12,923 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha · higher cost
Admission rate87.0%98.0%
Nearby alternativeUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnNearby option · NE
Comparison with University of Nebraska at Omaha
MeasureUniversity of Nebraska at OmahaUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,448$62,769+$2,321 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha
Average annual net price$13,441$17,747+$4,306 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha · higher cost
Admission rate87.0%87.5%
Explore University of Nebraska-Lincoln →
Higher-earnings alternativeSan Jose State University$89,614 earnings
Comparison with University of Nebraska at Omaha
MeasureUniversity of Nebraska at OmahaSan Jose State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,448$89,614+$29,166 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha
Average annual net price$13,441$13,760+$319 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha · higher cost
Admission rate87.0%84.6%
Explore San Jose State University →
Lower-cost alternativeTrinity International University-Illinois$2,835 average net price
Comparison with University of Nebraska at Omaha
MeasureUniversity of Nebraska at OmahaTrinity International University-Illinois
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,448$51,985-$8,463 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha
Average annual net price$13,441$2,835-$10,606 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha · lower cost
Admission rate87.0%100.0%
Similar profileWichita State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of Nebraska at Omaha
MeasureUniversity of Nebraska at OmahaWichita State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,448$59,707-$741 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha
Average annual net price$13,441$13,194-$247 vs University of Nebraska at Omaha · lower cost
Admission rate87.0%94.0%
Explore Wichita State University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings