Wichita State University Outcomes: $60K Earnings (2026)

How much do Wichita State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $59,707 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is -$5,903 per year.

Graduates of Wichita State University earn about $6,342 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 75th percentile nationally. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,670.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $328. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,063.

The overall return sits in the 60th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, the median earnings of $59,707 are at the 50th percentile.

That median lands below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,903. The earnings beyond expectations are strong, while the overall median remains below peers.

The earnings scenarios at Wichita State University span from a downside of $43,660 to an upside of $81,051, with the typical scenario at $59,707. That spread shows the variation in earnings across the university's 40 programs with published data four years after completion.

The highest-earning programs illustrate the upper end of the range: Computer Science graduates earn a median of $97,335, Mechanical Engineering completers reach $89,074, and Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering graduates earn $83,057.

An estimated 27.3% 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, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $59,707
Rank for difference from expectations: 75th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Wichita State University reported median: $59,707
Peer schools comparable schools · $5,903 above Wichita State University: $65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $6,342 below Wichita State University: $53,365

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: $43,660
Median · reported: $59,707
Higher estimate: $81,051

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 Wichita 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.

Wichita State University graduates’ reported earnings are $6,342 above that expectation, the 75th 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 Wichita State University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Wichita State University report the highest earnings?

The largest programs at Wichita State University show a wide spread in earnings four years after completion. Nursing leads with 154 degrees awarded, a median of $75,784, and an Azimuth national rank of #282.

Business Administration and Management reports $63,852 on 139 degrees awarded and ranks #230 nationally. Psychology, at $42,690 with 121 degrees awarded, ranks #312 nationally.

The highest-earning ranked program is Nursing, while Psychology sits at the lower end of the range among the largest fields. The contrast between these programs shows the variation in early-career earnings that students encounter across the university's degree offerings.

Wichita State University publishes earnings data for 40 bachelor's programs, 29 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest program, Teacher Education, awarded 287 degrees and shows a median of $47,389 four years after completion.

Nursing is both large and well-ranked: it awarded 154 degrees, ranks #282 nationally and #3 in Kansas, with a median of $75,784. Business Administration and Management ranks #230 nationally and #3 in Kansas, and awarded 139 degrees.

Its median is $63,852. The highest-earning program is Computer Science, where completers earn a median of $97,335 four years after completion.

Further analysis

Earnings vary widely by field at Wichita State University. Computer Science graduates earn a median of $97,335 four years after completion, while Psychology, the lowest-earning among the largest programs, sits at $42,690.

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix capture this spread: a downside of $43,660, a typical outcome of $59,707, and an upside reaching $81,051.

Wichita State University graduates who are working and not enrolled four years after completing a bachelor's degree earn a median of $59,707. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, this median is at the 50th percentile, drawn from an earnings cohort of 2,658.

Graduates earn about $6,342 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits at the 75th percentile. The earnings model sets an expected level for similar students.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical outcome of $59,707, a downside scenario of $43,660 and an upside scenario of $81,051. These are estimated outcomes, not observed medians for a single group.

An estimated 27.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

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.