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Career outcomes brief

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# Washington State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/washington-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/washington-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/washington-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/washington-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/washington-state-university/similar/)

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## How much do Washington State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $73,467 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $7,857 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $73,467. That is $7,857 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and places the university in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $10,063 more than the model expects for similar students. That puts the gap at the 83rd percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $13,865. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,802. Azimuth places the return pillar at the 79th percentile.

Earnings vary substantially by field at Washington State University. Earnings scenarios run from $52,089 on the downside to $96,047 on the upside, across 49 programs with published earnings data.

The higher end includes Computer Science at $119,686, Computer Engineering at $114,635, and Electrical Engineering at $104,354, each measured four years after completion. Those field-level medians show why the modeled range is broad.

Graduate study matters when reading the earnings figure: an estimated 30.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings cover people working and not enrolled, they do not describe graduates continuing their education.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$73,467

**Rank for difference from expectations**
83rd percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Washington State University reported median**
$73,467

**Peer schools comparable schools · $7,857 below Washington State University**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $10,063 below Washington State University**
$63,404

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 $52,089 to $96,047, around the reported median of $73,467. Compare the lower scenario with [Washington State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/washington-state-university/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**
$52,089

**Median · reported**
$73,467

**Higher estimate**
$96,047

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 Washington State University 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).

Washington State University graduates’ reported earnings are $10,063 above that expectation, the 83rd 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 Washington State University 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.**
+$13,865

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$3,802

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$10,063

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

## Which fields at Washington State University report the highest earnings?

Washington State University pairs higher-earning computing and engineering fields with moderately earning programs that place well in Azimuth’s field rankings. Computer Science reports median earnings of $119,686 four years after completion, with 177 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #66 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Electrical Engineering records $104,354 and 110 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth rank of #35 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The moderate-earning side includes Agricultural Production Operations, at $69,708 with 27 degrees awarded and an Azimuth rank of #3 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Social Sciences shows $61,617 and 250 degrees awarded, ranking #7 through Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The figures show distinct earnings levels alongside strong rankings in several moderate-earning fields.

National field placements stand out at Washington State University, which has 44 bachelor’s programs ranked by Azimuth and published four-year earnings data for 49 programs. The best-ranked fields span agricultural operations, biological and physical sciences, and social sciences.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Agricultural Production Operations #3 nationally within its field; it awarded 27 degrees and had median earnings of $69,708 four years after completion. Biological and Physical Sciences ranks #5 nationally within its field, with 24 degrees awarded and median earnings of $68,583 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks Social Sciences #7 nationally within its field; 250 degrees were awarded, and median earnings were $61,617 four years after completion. The ranked fields show different earnings figures, and the program pages provide field-by-field detail.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Science**
$119,686

**Computer Engineering**
$114,635

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$104,354

**Chemical Engineering**
$99,506

**Mechanical Engineering**
$93,971

**Civil Engineering**
$91,879

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$91,495

**Materials Engineering**
$86,145

[Explore Washington State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/washington-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix run from a downside of $52,089 to a typical figure of $73,467 and an upside of $96,047, showing how earnings vary by field. Computer Science has median earnings of $119,686 four years after completion; Psychology, the lowest-earning of the largest programs, has $56,681.

At Washington State University, median earnings are $73,467 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings cohort contains 5,919 completers. Graduates earn about $10,063 more than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios from the program mix show a typical scenario matching the reported median, with a downside scenario of $52,089 and an upside scenario of $96,047. An estimated 30.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

Above-expected earnings and the broad modeled range point to different outcomes across that 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/).