Western Michigan University Outcomes: $63K Earnings (2026)

How much do Western Michigan University graduates earn?

The reported median is $62,885 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is -$2,725 per year.

Graduates of Western Michigan University earn about $2,711 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 65th 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 $7,433.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,722. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $984.

Four years after completion, the median earnings of Western Michigan University completers who are working and not enrolled is $62,885, which sits in the 60th percentile. That figure is below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $2,725.

Azimuth places the return in the 63rd percentile nationally. The earnings beyond expectations and a median that trails the peer group pull in different directions, making the return picture mixed.

The earnings scenarios at Western Michigan University span from a downside of $46,735 to an upside of $85,703 four years after completion, with the typical scenario at $62,885. That spread reflects the variation across the university's 54 programs with published earnings data.

The highest-earning fields show the upper end of the range: Paper Science and Engineering completers earn a median of $102,825, Electrical Engineering graduates reach $95,469, and Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering completers earn $94,177.

An estimated 25.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings snapshot leaves out a sizable portion of completers who are still building credentials.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $62,885
Rank for difference from expectations: 65th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Western Michigan University reported median: $62,885
Peer schools comparable schools · $2,725 above Western Michigan University: $65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $2,711 below Western Michigan University: $60,174

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?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $46,735
Median · reported: $62,885
Higher estimate: $85,703

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 Western Michigan 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.

Western Michigan University graduates’ reported earnings are $2,711 above that expectation, the 65th 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 Western Michigan University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Western Michigan University report the highest earnings?

Western Michigan University's largest programs span fields with markedly different earnings four years after completion. Air Transportation, with 214 degrees awarded, shows a median of $89,564 and an Azimuth national rank of #7 in its field, the best in Michigan.

Marketing and Business Administration and Management, the two largest programs by degrees awarded, reach $71,371 and $75,143 respectively, with national ranks of #62 and #114. In contrast, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies reports a median of $54,597 on 175 degrees awarded, ranking #57 nationally.

The spread between the highest- and lowest-earning large programs reflects the range of fields the university serves, from technical disciplines to broader liberal-arts and interdisciplinary study.

Western Michigan University publishes earnings data for 54 bachelor's programs, 42 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. The strongest-ranked program is Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, which ranks #5 nationally and #1 in Michigan.

The largest program, Marketing, awarded 277 degrees, ranks #62 nationally, and shows a median of $71,371. Air Transportation, with 214 degrees awarded, ranks #7 nationally and reports a median of $89,564.

Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions ranks #8 nationally, awarded 65 degrees, and its completers earn a median of $68,351. Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations awarded 29 degrees, ranks #11 nationally, and shows a median of $46,543.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show how earnings vary by field: the downside scenario is $46,735, the typical scenario is $62,885, and the upside scenario reaches $85,703. Among the largest programs, Air Transportation reaches $89,564 at the high end, while Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies sits at $54,597 at the lower end.

Four years after completing a degree at Western Michigan University, the median earnings among the 5,263 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled is $62,885. That figure sits below the median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size), and places the university in the 60th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $2,711 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 65th percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a downside scenario of $46,735 and an upside scenario reaching $85,703.

An estimated 25.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The earnings picture is mixed: the median sits below the mark for comparable institutions, yet graduates outpace the model's expectation.

The downside and upside scenarios show a wide spread, reflecting the range of program outcomes at a university where the largest degree families are Business, Health Professions, and Engineering.

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.