College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

University of South Carolina-Upstate Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do University of South Carolina-Upstate graduates earn?

The reported median is $55,994 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is -$1,307 per year.

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,994, in the 36th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $57,301.

Graduates here earn $1,307 below that figure. Graduates earn about $5,508 less than expects for similar students.

That places the gap in the 35th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth puts the return in the 28th 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 $6,982. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,490. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,729.

The spread between the downside and upside earnings scenarios is wide, from $42,377 to $80,438. These are earnings scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

At the upper end, Nursing graduates earn a median of $79,947 four years after completion, from 309 degrees awarded. Computer and Information Sciences follows at $67,286 with 44 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management graduates earn $61,967.

An estimated 28.5% 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 snapshot.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$55,994
Rank for difference from expectations
35th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
University of South Carolina-Upstate reported median
$55,994
Peer schools comparable schools · $1,307 above University of South Carolina-Upstate
$57,301
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $5,508 above University of South Carolina-Upstate
$61,502

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 $42,377 to $80,438, around the reported median of $55,994. Compare the lower scenario with University of South Carolina-Upstate 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
$42,377
Median · reported
$55,994
Higher estimate
$80,438

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 University of South Carolina-Upstate 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.

University of South Carolina-Upstate graduates’ reported earnings are $5,508 below that expectation, the 35th 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 Carolina-Upstate 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.
+$6,982
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$12,490
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$5,508

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 Carolina-Upstate report the highest earnings?

Nursing is the largest program and the highest-earning one, with 309 degrees awarded and median earnings of $79,947 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #188 nationally within its field.

Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $67,286, from a smaller cohort of 44 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management follows at $61,967 with 58 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #272 nationally.

At the more moderate end, Criminal Justice awards 103 degrees and posts median earnings of $48,209. Teacher Education graduates earn $42,119 from 76 degrees awarded.

The spread between the top-earning program and the more moderate ones is wide, and the largest programs are not all the best-paid.

University of South Carolina-Upstate has 11 nationally ranked bachelor's programs. Health Professions accounts for 28.4% of degrees awarded, followed by Business at 12.4%.

Nursing is the largest single program, with 309 degrees awarded a year. Azimuth ranks it #188 nationally in its field, and its completers earn a median of $79,947 four years after completion.

It is also the highest-earning program at the university. Criminal Justice awards 103 degrees a year and ranks #179 nationally, with median earnings of $48,209.

Psychology awards 81 degrees and ranks #281 nationally, with median earnings of $45,659.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$79,947
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$67,286
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$61,967
Criminal Justice and Corrections
$48,209
Biology, General
$48,139
Political Science and Government
$47,796
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
$46,121
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences
$45,761

Explore University of South Carolina-Upstate program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a downside of $42,377, a typical outcome of $55,994, and an upside of $80,438. The highest-earning program, Nursing, reaches $79,947 four years after completion.

Among the largest programs, Teacher Education sits at the lower end at $42,119, showing how much the field of study shapes the outcome.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of University of South Carolina-Upstate who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,994. That figure is $1,307 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the university in the 36th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 1,612 completers. Graduates earn about $5,508 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from a downside of $42,377 to an upside of $80,438. An estimated 28.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The upside earnings scenario reaches $80,438, which is well above the institutional median.

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.