College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

University of Pennsylvania Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do Penn graduates earn?

The reported median is $124,586 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $83,615 as its benchmark; the difference is $40,971 per year.

Azimuth ranks University of Pennsylvania #5 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $21,035 more than expects for similar students, a figure in the 96th percentile nationally.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,935. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $11,100.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,533. The median earnings four years after completion stand at $124,586, in the 99th percentile.

That is above the peer median of $83,615 by $40,971 among comparable institutions (same type and size).

The median earnings figure is a single point; the program mix at University of Pennsylvania means a wide range of possible outcomes. Earnings scenarios, estimated from that mix, run from $64,345 on the downside to $203,421 on the upside.

At the higher end, Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn a median of $241,380 four years after completion, and Finance graduates earn $202,069. The largest program is also Finance, placing the most popular path near the top of the range.

An estimated 33.7% 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
$124,586
Rank for difference from expectations
96th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
Penn reported median
$124,586
Peer schools comparable schools · $40,971 below Penn
$83,615
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $21,035 below Penn
$103,551

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 $64,345 to $203,421, around the reported median of $124,586. Compare the lower scenario with Penn 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
$64,345
Median · reported
$124,586
Higher estimate
$203,421

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 Penn 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.

Penn graduates’ reported earnings are $21,035 above that expectation, the 96th 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 Penn 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.
+$9,935
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$11,100
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$21,035

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

Which fields at Penn report the highest earnings?

The University of Pennsylvania's highest-earning bachelor's program is Computer and Information Sciences, where completers earn a median of $241,380 four years after completion, alongside 172 degrees awarded. Finance follows at $202,069 with 398 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #1 in its field.

Nursing reports median earnings of $98,475 and an Azimuth national rank of #78 on 206 degrees awarded. Philosophy reaches $107,454 and ranks #1 nationally.

Azimuth ranks 20 programs at University of Pennsylvania, and earnings data is available for 23 fields of study. The largest program, Finance, awarded 398 degrees and holds the #1 national rank, with a median of $202,069 four years after completion.

Economics follows with 234 degrees awarded and median earnings of $129,985. Management Science awarded 209 degrees and its completers earn a median of $153,279.

The Nursing program, ranked #78 nationally and #6 in Pennsylvania, awarded 206 degrees and shows median earnings of $98,475. Philosophy rounds out the largest programs with 202 degrees awarded, a #1 national rank, and median earnings of $107,454 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$241,380
Finance and Financial Management Services
$202,069
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
$153,279
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$136,806
Economics
$129,985
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
$126,419
Mechanical Engineering
$114,492
Communication and Media Studies
$114,266

Explore Penn program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show a downside of $64,345, a typical outcome of $124,586, and an upside of $203,421. Anchoring the range in named programs, Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn a median of $241,380 four years after completion, while Nursing, the lowest-earning among the largest programs, sits at $98,475.

The four-year earnings cohort at University of Pennsylvania includes 2,701 completers. Among federally aided completers working and not enrolled, the median earnings four years after completion reach $124,586, placing the university in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That median runs above the $83,615 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $40,971. Graduates earn about $21,035 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 96th percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios, which reflect the university's program mix, show a typical return of $124,586, a downside scenario of $64,345, and an upside scenario of $203,421. An estimated 33.7% of programs' graduates continue to graduate study, a share derived from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

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.