1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [University of North Carolina at Charlotte](/school/university-of-north-carolina-at-charlotte/)
4.  /
5.  Career outcomes brief

Career outcomes brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# University of North Carolina at Charlotte Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do UNC Charlotte graduates earn?

The reported median is $65,370 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$240 per year.

The return pillar at University of North Carolina at Charlotte sits in the 64th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,342 more than the model expects for similar students, a figure in the 64th percentile nationally.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $12,646. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $10,304.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,563. Four years after completion, the median earnings for working completers reach $65,370, in the 66th percentile.

Compared with the peer median of $65,610 among comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's median is below by $240.

The range between the downside and upside earnings scenarios spans from $48,709 to $89,373, reflecting the spread of program-level outcomes at the university. Among the largest programs, Computer Science graduates earn a median of $93,037 four years after completion, while Psychology graduates earn $50,507.

The highest-earning program, Computer Engineering, reaches a median of $97,109 with 75 degrees awarded.

An estimated 29.4% 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**
$65,370

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

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**UNC Charlotte reported median**
$65,370

**Peer schools comparable schools · $240 above UNC Charlotte**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $2,342 below UNC Charlotte**
$63,028

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 UNC Charlotte students return and finish their degrees?

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

**Returned the following fall**
86.0%

**Completed within six years**
68.2%

**Pell recipients completed within six years**
64.3%

Source: University of North Carolina at Charlotte 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 $48,709 to $89,373, around the reported median of $65,370. Compare the lower scenario with [UNC Charlotte borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-north-carolina-at-charlotte/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**
$48,709

**Median · reported**
$65,370

**Higher estimate**
$89,373

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 UNC Charlotte 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).

UNC Charlotte graduates’ reported earnings are $2,342 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 UNC Charlotte 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.**
+$12,646

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$10,304

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$2,342

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

## Which fields at UNC Charlotte report the highest earnings?

The university's largest program, Computer Science, awarded 593 degrees and shows a median of $93,037 four years after completion, with an Azimuth national rank of #97 in the field. Finance follows at $74,965 on 380 degrees awarded and ranks #91 nationally.

Earnings step down in fields such as Psychology, where the median reaches $50,507 alongside 396 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #164. Health and Medical Administrative Services reports $52,400 on 354 degrees awarded and ranks #46 nationally, illustrating the spread between higher- and moderate-earning fields at the university.

The university's strongest national program rank belongs to Mathematics and Statistics, which Azimuth places #4 in its field and #1 in North Carolina. The program awarded 23 degrees and its completers earn a median of $87,419 four years after completion.

Among the largest programs, Computer Science awarded 593 degrees and ranks #97 nationally, with a median of $93,037. Finance ranks #91 nationally and #2 in North Carolina, with 380 degrees awarded and median earnings of $74,965.

Communication and Media Studies holds a national rank of #64 and a state rank of #4, with 311 degrees awarded and a median of $60,407. Across 45 nationally ranked programs, earnings data is available for 51 fields of study.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Engineering**
$97,109

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$93,953

**Computer Science**
$93,037

**Physics**
$89,944

**Mechanical Engineering**
$88,265

**Mathematics and Statistics, Other**
$87,419

**Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions**
$86,238

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$84,723

[Explore UNC Charlotte program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-north-carolina-at-charlotte/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show a downside of $48,709, a typical outcome of $65,370, and an upside of $89,373. The spread reflects how much field of study matters: the highest-earning program, Computer Engineering, reaches $97,109, while among the largest programs Psychology sits at $50,507.

University of North Carolina at Charlotte records a median of $65,370 four years after completion among the 6,885 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places that median in the 66th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $2,342 more than the model expects for similar students. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) that earnings gap in the 64th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix span from $48,709 to $89,373, with a typical outcome of $65,370 four years after completion. The model estimates graduate-school continuation at 29.4% of programs' graduates. That estimate derives from program mix rather than observed enrollment.

## 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/).