1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [University of South Alabama](/school/university-of-south-alabama/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # University of South Alabama Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/university-of-south-alabama/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-south-alabama/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/university-of-south-alabama/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-south-alabama/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-south-alabama/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do University of South Alabama graduates earn? The reported median is $62,459 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $5,158 per year. Graduates of University of South Alabama earn a median of $62,459 four years after completion, $5,158 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). This median ranks at the 58th percentile. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,692 more than the model expects for similar students. That result sits at the 61st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,578. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,886. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,707. The highest-earning programs at University of South Alabama are in engineering. Electrical Engineering graduates earn $100,166 four years after completion, from 26 degrees awarded. Chemical Engineering follows at $93,943, with 21 degrees awarded. Mechanical Engineering, a larger program at 67 degrees awarded, reports $89,052. These figures sit near the national median for their fields, with benchmarks of 0.99x, 0.96x, and 0.97x respectively. An estimated 29.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, those continuing their education are outside that earnings snapshot. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $62,459 **Rank for difference from expectations** 61st percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **University of South Alabama reported median** $62,459 **Peer schools comparable schools · $5,158 below University of South Alabama** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $1,692 below University of South Alabama** $60,767 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 $43,113 to $81,987, around the reported median of $62,459. Compare the lower scenario with [University of South Alabama borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-south-alabama/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** $43,113 **Median · reported** $62,459 **Higher estimate** $81,987 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 South Alabama 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 South Alabama graduates’ reported earnings are $1,692 above that expectation, the 61st 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 South Alabama 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.** +$6,578 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$4,886 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$1,692 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at University of South Alabama report the highest earnings? The highest-earning programs at University of South Alabama are in engineering, and they are not the largest by degrees awarded. Electrical Engineering graduates earn a median of $100,166 four years after completion, from 26 degrees awarded a year. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #125 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Nursing is the largest program, with 341 degrees awarded and median earnings of $78,024. Azimuth ranks it #230 nationally. Biology follows at 151 degrees awarded and $54,090 in median earnings, ranking #260 nationally. The spread between the largest and highest-earning programs is wide. A student drawn to the health sciences or biology should know that the best-paid fields at the university are the smaller engineering programs. Health Professions accounts for 27.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 12.4%. The university has 27 nationally ranked programs. The largest single program is Nursing, with 341 degrees awarded a year. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #230 within its field, and graduates earn a median of $78,024 four years after completion. The best-paid programs are in engineering. Mechanical Engineering is the largest of them, at 67 degrees a year, and Azimuth ranks it #185 nationally; graduates earn $89,052. Civil Engineering is smaller, at 29 degrees, and Azimuth ranks it #169 nationally, with median earnings of $78,187. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering** $100,166 **Chemical Engineering** $93,943 **Mechanical Engineering** $89,052 **Computer Science** $80,317 **Civil Engineering** $78,187 **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $78,024 **Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions** $69,490 **Information Science/Studies** $64,455 [Explore University of South Alabama program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-south-alabama/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from a downside of $43,113 to a typical outcome of $62,459 and an upside of $81,987. The highest-earning program, Electrical Engineering, reaches $100,166 four years after completion, while the lowest-earning among the largest programs, Psychology, stands at $43,384. University of South Alabama graduates earn a median of $62,459 four years after completing a degree, measured among 2,614 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that median sits at the 58th percentile. The amount is $5,158 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $1,692 more than the model expects for similar students. That result falls at the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $43,113 on the downside to $81,987 on the upside. The typical earnings scenario lands at $62,459. An estimated 29.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. ## 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/).