College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

University of Utah Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do University of Utah graduates earn?

The reported median is $75,345 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $9,735 per year.

Azimuth places the return at the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion is $75,345, which is $9,735 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That is the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $14,189 more than expects for similar students.

That result sits at the 90th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $11,032.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $3,157. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,502.

The earnings scenarios show a wide spread at University of Utah. The downside earnings scenario is $51,161 and the upside scenario is $104,485.

Both are estimated from the program mix rather than observed groups. At the upper end, Computer Science graduates earn $137,329 four years after completion, from 219 degrees awarded a year.

Computer Engineering follows at $114,197, and Information Science/Studies at $105,127.

An estimated 30.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so those continuing their education are outside that earnings snapshot.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$75,345
Rank for difference from expectations
90th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
University of Utah reported median
$75,345
Peer schools comparable schools · $9,735 below University of Utah
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $14,189 below University of Utah
$61,156

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 many University of Utah 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
66.0%
Pell recipients completed within six years
56.0%

Source: University of Utah 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 $51,161 to $104,485, around the reported median of $75,345. Compare the lower scenario with University of Utah 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
$51,161
Median · reported
$75,345
Higher estimate
$104,485

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 Utah 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 Utah graduates’ reported earnings are $14,189 above that expectation, the 90th 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 Utah 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.
+$11,032
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$3,157
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$14,189

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

Which fields at University of Utah report the highest earnings?

The five largest programs at University of Utah show a wide earnings spread four years after completion. Computer Science completers earn $137,329, the highest among the group, and the program ranks #41 nationally with 219 degrees awarded.

Biology completers earn $62,950, the lowest, and the program ranks #95 nationally with 217 degrees awarded. Communication and Media Studies awards the most degrees at 322 a year, and its completers earn $63,309.

Azimuth ranks it #45 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Nursing, with 219 degrees awarded, earns $86,243 and ranks #167 in its field.

The contrast between the highest-earning and the most-awarded programs is worth noting: the largest program by degrees does not lead in earnings.

University of Utah has 36 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, with earnings data available for 41 fields. The strongest ranks sit in the arts and sciences, not only in the highest-earning technical fields.

Information Science/Studies and Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft both rank #8 nationally. Information Science/Studies awarded 89 degrees and its completers earned a median of $105,127 four years after completion.

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft is a smaller program at 38 degrees, with median earnings of $49,802. The largest program with published earnings is Communication and Media Studies, ranked #45 nationally, with 322 degrees awarded and median earnings of $63,309.

The highest earnings come from Computer Science, ranked #41 nationally, which awarded 219 degrees and shows a median of $137,329 four years out.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer Science
$137,329
Computer Engineering
$114,197
Information Science/Studies
$105,127
Finance and Financial Management Services
$100,793
Chemical Engineering
$98,215
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
$96,353
Accounting and Related Services
$94,253
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$91,361

Explore University of Utah program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a wide spread. The downside earnings scenario is $51,161, the typical scenario is $75,345, and the upside reaches $104,485.

That range shows the difference between the university's highest- and lowest-earning large programs. Computer Science graduates earn $137,329 four years after completion, while Biology graduates earn $62,950.

Graduates of University of Utah earn a median of $75,345 four years after completion, a figure that sits $9,735 above the median for comparable institutions. Azimuth places the university's return pillar in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $14,189 more than the model expects for similar students, placing earnings beyond expectations in the 90th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a range from a downside of $51,161 to an upside of $104,485, with the typical scenario at $75,345.

An estimated 30.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

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.