Statistics: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 27.05. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 600 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 24 | 205 | $65,661 | $82,722 | $15,650 2 programs |
| Associate's degree | 2 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 224 | 5,130 | $68,688 | $92,425 | $17,681 44 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 14 | 0 | $79,180 | $115,923 | Data unavailable |
| Master's degree | 180 | 3,560 | $97,501 | $123,816 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 91 | 486 | $125,151 | $156,733 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 64 | 222 | $71,302 | $101,297 | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Undergraduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapman University CA · Private, nonprofit · 26 graduates measured | $98,740 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke University NC · Private, nonprofit · 29 graduates measured | $131,046 | $152,782 | $13,500 |
| Yale University CT · Private, nonprofit · 24 graduates measured | $127,725 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Carnegie Mellon University PA · Private, nonprofit · 113 graduates measured | $116,208 | $156,743 | $19,500 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 16 graduates measured | $98,912 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Cornell University NY · Private, nonprofit · 17 graduates measured | $95,495 | $111,090 | $15,500 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI · Public · 43 graduates measured | $92,270 | $109,466 | $20,682 |
| Northwestern University IL · Private, nonprofit · 32 graduates measured | $90,572 | $122,682 | $18,277 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas TX · Public · 18 graduates measured | $88,587 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL · Public · 137 graduates measured | $84,922 | $105,978 | $15,000 |
| University of California-Berkeley CA · Public · 44 graduates measured | $84,849 | $133,986 | $16,448 |
| Southern Methodist University TX · Private, nonprofit · 28 graduates measured | $80,552 | Data unavailable | $12,000 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ · Public · 40 graduates measured | $80,257 | $80,721 | $24,250 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA · Public · 24 graduates measured | $79,570 | $94,300 | Data unavailable |
| Purdue University-Main Campus IN · Public · 68 graduates measured | $79,554 | $104,047 | $17,629 |
| University of Florida FL · Public · 40 graduates measured | $77,747 | $98,409 | $12,000 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins University MD · Private, nonprofit · 36 graduates measured | $142,186 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Chicago IL · Private, nonprofit · 100 graduates measured | $140,033 | $161,842 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Los Angeles CA · Public · 27 graduates measured | $139,902 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Berkeley CA · Public · 22 graduates measured | $133,428 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| New York University NY · Private, nonprofit · 49 graduates measured | $124,717 | $128,820 | Data unavailable |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA · Public · 57 graduates measured | $117,206 | $129,392 | Data unavailable |
| Pennsylvania State University-World Campus PA · Public · 57 graduates measured | $117,206 | $129,392 | Data unavailable |
| National University CA · Private, nonprofit · 23 graduates measured | $105,040 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Texas A&M University-College Station TX · Public · 79 graduates measured | $103,192 | $130,436 | Data unavailable |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ · Public · 19 graduates measured | $102,120 | $127,279 | Data unavailable |
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 50 graduates measured | $100,892 | $167,848 | Data unavailable |
| University of North Texas TX · Public · 59 graduates measured | $99,597 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College NY · Public · 41 graduates measured | $98,082 | $127,189 | Data unavailable |
| Oregon State University OR · Public · 41 graduates measured | $94,693 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Oregon State University-Cascades Campus OR · Public · 41 graduates measured | $94,693 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Statistics
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural sciences managers | $167,220 | +8.2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Actuaries | $130,000 | +9.2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Mathematicians | $126,710 | +0.6% | Master's degree |
| Statisticians | $105,650 | +11.0% | Master's degree |
| Data scientists | $120,230 | +34.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Survey researchers | $69,460 | -4.8% | Master's degree |
| Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary | $79,940 | +1.7% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (4)
- 27.0501 Statistics, General
- 27.0502 Mathematical Statistics and Probability
- 27.0503 Mathematics and Statistics
- 27.0599 Statistics, Other