Warren Wilson College graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $36,684, placing Warren Wilson College in the 1.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $25,172 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Warren Wilson College in the 3.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Warren Wilson College #1461 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Warren Wilson College's concentration in Natural Resources, where graduates build careers in environmental stewardship, conservation, and land management. Natural Resources Conservation and Research is the largest program with 26 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $43,793, representing 0.8× the national benchmark for the field. Other substantial programs include Psychology, General with 21 graduates, Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies with 13 graduates, and Sociology with 13 graduates. This focused program portfolio creates a distinctive labor-market alignment: graduates enter fields with steady regional demand and mission-driven career pathways that often prioritize purpose alongside financial return.
Warren Wilson College graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $36,684, placing Warren Wilson College in the 1.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $25,172 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Warren Wilson College in the 3.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Warren Wilson College #1461 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Warren Wilson College's concentration in Natural Resources, where graduates build careers in environmental stewardship, conservation, and land management. Natural Resources Conservation and Research is the largest program with 26 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $43,793, representing 0.8× the national benchmark for the field. Other substantial programs include Psychology, General with 21 graduates, Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies with 13 graduates, and Sociology with 13 graduates. This focused program portfolio creates a distinctive labor-market alignment: graduates enter fields with steady regional demand and mission-driven career pathways that often prioritize purpose alongside financial return.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Warren Wilson College graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $36,684, placing Warren Wilson College in the 1.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $25,172 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Warren Wilson College in the 3.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Warren Wilson College #1461 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Warren Wilson College's concentration in Natural Resources, where graduates build careers in environmental stewardship, conservation, and land management. Natural Resources Conservation and Research is the largest program with 26 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $43,793, representing 0.8× the national benchmark for the field. Other substantial programs include Psychology, General with 21 graduates, Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies with 13 graduates, and Sociology with 13 graduates. This focused program portfolio creates a distinctive labor-market alignment: graduates enter fields with steady regional demand and mission-driven career pathways that often prioritize purpose alongside financial return.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Warren Wilson College's program mix is anchored in natural resources, environmental sciences, and applied sustainability fields—a signature aligned with the institution's location in the Blue Ridge Mountains and its distinctive work-study model. Natural Resources Conservation and Research is the largest program with 26 graduates, followed by Psychology, General, Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Sociology, and Visual and Performing Arts. Across 0 ranked programs serving roughly 144 students annually, several deliver strong four-year earnings outcomes. The highest-earning program at Warren Wilson College is Natural Resources Conservation and Research, where graduates earn median earnings of $43,793 four years after enrollment. This program combines a cohort of 26 graduates with solid labor-market positioning. The institution's program portfolio reflects its emphasis on Natural Resources and related applied fields, where graduates typically enter direct workforce pathways in environmental management, conservation, agriculture, and outdoor recreation sectors. These are high-mobility career tracks where four-year earnings reflect immediate labor-market outcomes rather than graduate-school-dependent trajectories. The supply and demand for college graduates provides useful context for how Warren Wilson College's dominant program families align with national labor-market trends in sustainability, natural resource management, and environmental sectors. For students drawn to hands-on, field-based learning combined with work-study integration, the institution's program concentration offers a coherent pathway from undergraduate study into applied professional roles.
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Warren Wilson College graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $36,684, placing Warren Wilson College in the 1.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $25,172 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Warren Wilson College in the 3.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Warren Wilson College #1461 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Warren Wilson College's concentration in Natural Resources, where graduates build careers in environmental stewardship, conservation, and land management. Natural Resources Conservation and Research is the largest program with 26 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $43,793, representing 0.8× the national benchmark for the field. Other substantial programs include Psychology, General with 21 graduates, Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies with 13 graduates, and Sociology with 13 graduates. This focused program portfolio creates a distinctive labor-market alignment: graduates enter fields with steady regional demand and mission-driven career pathways that often prioritize purpose alongside financial return.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
