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Career outcomes brief

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# University of Wisconsin-River Falls Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-wisconsin-river-falls/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-wisconsin-river-falls/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/university-of-wisconsin-river-falls/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-wisconsin-river-falls/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-wisconsin-river-falls/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do University of Wisconsin-River Falls graduates earn?

The reported median is $54,923 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$2,378 per year.

Azimuth places the university at the 34th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $54,923, at the 32nd percentile.

That is $2,378 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $8,815 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 22nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $3,567.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,382. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,108.

The earnings scenarios at the university span from a downside of $46,795 to an upside of $71,264, a range that reflects the variation in program-level outcomes four years after completion. The highest-earning programs illustrate this spread.

Physics completers earn a median of $85,638, while Accounting graduates reach $73,583. The largest program, Animal Sciences, with 184 degrees awarded, shows a median of $48,680.

An estimated 28.8% 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, this estimate suggests that a sizable share of completers are building additional credentials outside the earnings snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$54,923

**Rank for difference from expectations**
22nd percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**University of Wisconsin-River Falls reported median**
$54,923

**Peer schools comparable schools · $2,378 above University of Wisconsin-River Falls**
$57,301

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $8,815 above University of Wisconsin-River Falls**
$63,738

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 $46,795 to $71,264, around the reported median of $54,923. Compare the lower scenario with [University of Wisconsin-River Falls borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-wisconsin-river-falls/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**
$46,795

**Median · reported**
$54,923

**Higher estimate**
$71,264

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 Wisconsin-River Falls 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 Wisconsin-River Falls graduates’ reported earnings are $8,815 below that expectation, the 22nd 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 Wisconsin-River Falls 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.**
+$3,567

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$12,382

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$8,815

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

## Which fields at University of Wisconsin-River Falls report the highest earnings?

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls awards bachelor's degrees across 20 fields with published four-year earnings, and the spread between the highest- and lowest-earning programs is wide. The highest-earning field, Physics, shows a median of $85,638 four years after completion, though it awarded only 13 degrees.

Accounting follows at $73,583 with 28 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management, the second-largest program with 173 degrees awarded, reports a median of $65,509.

The largest program, Animal Sciences, awarded 184 degrees and shows a median of $48,680, while Teacher Education reaches $46,004 on 88 degrees awarded. The contrast between the highest-earning fields and the larger, moderate-earning programs reflects the mix of agricultural, business, and education degrees that defines the university.

University of Wisconsin-River Falls publishes earnings data for 20 bachelor's programs. The largest, Animal Sciences, awarded 184 degrees and shows a median of $48,680 four years after completion.

Business Administration and Management follows with 173 degrees awarded and a median of $65,509, while Biology awarded 86 degrees and its completers earn a median of $60,875. The highest-earning program is Physics, where completers earn a median of $85,638 four years after graduating, though it awarded only 13 degrees.

Accounting is the highest-earning program with a larger footprint, awarding 28 degrees and showing a median of $73,583. The university's program mix is anchored in agriculture, business, and education, with the Agriculture & Natural Resources family accounting for 21.7% of degrees awarded.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Physics**
$85,638

**Accounting and Related Services**
$73,583

**Agricultural Engineering**
$71,715

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$65,509

**Biology, General**
$60,875

**Plant Sciences**
$59,732

**Agricultural Business and Management**
$57,307

**Communication Disorders Sciences and Services**
$54,963

[Explore University of Wisconsin-River Falls program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-wisconsin-river-falls/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

The spread between fields is wide. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix place the downside at $46,795, the typical outcome at $54,923, and the upside at $71,264.

Anchoring that range in named programs, the highest-earning field, Physics, reaches $85,638 four years after completion, while Teacher Education, one of the largest programs, sits at $46,004.

Four years after completing a bachelor's degree at University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the median earnings of the 1,522 graduates in the federal cohort sit at $54,923. That figure is below the median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university in the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $8,815 less than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 22nd percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical outcome that matches the observed median, with a downside scenario of $46,795 and an upside scenario reaching $71,264.

An estimated 28.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The earnings picture is mixed: the median sits below the peer benchmark and the model expects more for similar students.

Yet the upside scenario reaches into the low seventy-thousands, and several programs, including Physics and Accounting, show stronger returns.

## 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/).