Career outcomes brief

West Chester University of Pennsylvania Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do West Chester University of Pennsylvania graduates earn?

The reported median is $64,804 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is -$806 per year.

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, West Chester University of Pennsylvania has median earnings of $64,804 four years after completion. That places those earnings in the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, leaving the university $806 below it. Graduates earn about $6,973 less than expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth places the return in the 60th 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 $8,389. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $15,362.

The below-peer median and lower-than-expected earnings point in the same direction.

Earnings scenarios show a broad spread tied to the university's program mix, from $47,868 in the downside scenario to $92,608 in the upside scenario, with $64,804 as the typical scenario. These are scenarios rather than observed groups of graduates.

Among published program figures, Nursing has median earnings of $98,013 four years after completion and 204 degrees awarded. That program result provides a concrete reference point within the modeled spread.

Further study affects how the four-year earnings figure should be read. An estimated 28.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Because the earnings measure covers completers who are working and not enrolled, those continuing their education are outside that snapshot.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$64,804
Rank for difference from expectations
28th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
West Chester University of Pennsylvania reported median
$64,804
Peer schools comparable schools · $806 above West Chester University of Pennsylvania
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $6,973 above West Chester University of Pennsylvania
$71,777

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 $47,868 to $92,608, around the reported median of $64,804. Compare the lower scenario with West Chester University of Pennsylvania 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
$47,868
Median · reported
$64,804
Higher estimate
$92,608

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 West Chester University of Pennsylvania 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.

West Chester University of Pennsylvania graduates’ reported earnings are $6,973 below that expectation, the 28th 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 West Chester University of Pennsylvania 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.
+$8,389
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$15,362
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$6,973

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

Which fields at West Chester University of Pennsylvania report the highest earnings?

The reported program picture centers on Nursing, where median earnings are $98,013 four years after completion. The field awarded 204 degrees in the academic year covered, making it a large program as well as the available higher-earning field.

Its median is 1.10x the national median for that field, a comparison that puts its earnings in context without treating program results as university-wide outcomes. The broader degree mix extends beyond that health field.

Business accounts for 25.7% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, and Education accounts for 10.8%. Health Professions represents 14.3% of degrees awarded, so the available earnings figure describes one prominent part of the university’s offerings rather than every field.

Business accounts for 25.7% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, making it the largest program family; Health Professions accounts for 14.3%, and Education for 10.8%. That mix gives the school a broad academic center rather than a degree output concentrated solely in health fields.

Among the published program outcomes, Nursing stands out with 204 degrees awarded in one academic year and median earnings of $98,013 four years after completion. The available program result is far above the school-level typical scenario, showing that earnings can differ sharply by field even when the overall program mix is led by Business.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$98,013

Explore West Chester University of Pennsylvania program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Nursing anchors the published program figures at $98,013 four years after completion and is also the lowest-earning program among the listed largest programs. The program-mix model sets a downside earnings scenario of $47,868, a typical scenario of $64,804, and an upside scenario of $92,608. That range shows how modeled earnings can differ by field.

West Chester University of Pennsylvania posts a median of $64,804 four years after completion among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places that earnings level in the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 185 completers.

Graduates earn about $6,973 less than the model expects for similar students. The program-mix model sets the typical earnings scenario at the same level, with a downside scenario of $47,868 and an upside scenario of $92,608.

An estimated 28.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The scenario range and below-expected earnings point to variation behind 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.