Median Earnings 5 Years After Graduation by Degree Type (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Five years after finishing, the typical bachelor's program in our analysis pays $62,344, versus $44,862 for associate degrees and $32,190 for undergraduate certificates. Master's programs reach $73,968 and professional degrees (law, medicine, pharmacy) $135,138. EDsmart Data computed these medians from 47,535 College Scorecard programs that report 5-year earnings.
Key Facts
- Bachelor's, 5 years after completion: $62,344 (+34.1% vs year 1)
- Associate, 5 years: $44,862
- Undergraduate certificate, 5 years: $32,190
- Bachelor's premium over associate at year 5: $17,482
- Highest-paying bachelor's field at year 5: Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration ($139,585)
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Median earnings 5 years after completion, by credential
Each step up the credential ladder pays
EDsmart Data's analysis finds a bachelor's program pays $30,154 more per year than a certificate five years out, and a master's adds another $11,624 on top of a bachelor's.
Program-level medians weighted by graduates with reported earnings. Source: EDsmart Data analysis of College Scorecard field-of-study data.
How earnings grow from year 1 to year 5
Bachelor's earnings grow fastest early on
From year 1 to year 5, typical bachelor's earnings rise 34.1%, compared with 13.8% for associate degrees and 19.7% for certificates.
Each bar is a separate median; cohorts at years 1, 4, and 5 are different graduating classes.
Median earnings by degree type: years 1, 4, and 5
| Credential | Year 1 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Change, year 1 → 5 | Programs (5-yr data) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | $26,897 | $35,305 | $32,190 | +19.7% | 5,629 |
| Associate | $39,410 | $47,626 | $44,862 | +13.8% | 8,334 |
| Bachelor's | $46,489 | $64,285 | $62,344 | +34.1% | 24,226 |
| Master's | $64,745 | $77,414 | $73,968 | +14.2% | 7,861 |
| Doctoral | $79,042 | $103,070 | $100,764 | +27.5% | 829 |
| Professional | $72,074 | $117,811 | $135,138 | +87.5% | 656 |
Top 25 bachelor's fields by median earnings 5 years after graduation
Fields with at least 10 reporting programs nationwide.
| Field of study | CIP | Year 1 | Year 5 | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | 51.20 | $49,444 | $139,585 | 23 |
| Computer Science | 11.07 | $77,385 | $109,905 | 263 |
| Computer Engineering | 14.09 | $81,123 | $108,748 | 147 |
| Petroleum Engineering | 14.25 | $68,913 | $100,791 | 19 |
| Industrial Engineering | 14.35 | $76,147 | $100,438 | 72 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 14.10 | $77,964 | $99,424 | 243 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 14.02 | $75,036 | $97,915 | 57 |
| Chemical Engineering | 14.07 | $75,102 | $97,911 | 153 |
| Nuclear Engineering | 14.23 | $74,540 | $97,907 | 11 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | 15.10 | $74,199 | $94,660 | 35 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 14.05 | $66,075 | $94,444 | 93 |
| Engineering, Other | 14.99 | $74,204 | $94,292 | 14 |
| Statistics | 27.05 | $59,718 | $94,154 | 32 |
| Construction Management | 52.20 | $72,779 | $93,175 | 40 |
| Information Science/Studies | 11.04 | $66,209 | $92,982 | 123 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 51.38 | $83,188 | $92,768 | 903 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 11.01 | $67,315 | $92,007 | 385 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 14.19 | $70,763 | $91,528 | 303 |
| Architectural Engineering | 14.04 | $76,272 | $91,045 | 12 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 15.15 | $71,117 | $90,243 | 22 |
| Applied Mathematics | 27.03 | $61,741 | $90,036 | 32 |
| Materials Engineering | 14.18 | $74,496 | $89,572 | 26 |
| Insurance | 52.17 | $64,131 | $89,304 | 18 |
| Engineering, General | 14.01 | $68,331 | $88,670 | 50 |
| Fire Protection | 43.02 | $81,637 | $87,490 | 16 |
Highest-paying certificate and associate fields at year 5
Fields with at least 5 reporting programs.
| Field of study | Credential | Year 1 | Year 5 | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Certificate | $65,041 | $72,079 | 35 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Certificate | $46,304 | $68,183 | 10 |
| Computer Programming | Certificate | $43,727 | $65,188 | 7 |
| Fire Protection | Certificate | $46,660 | $58,635 | 27 |
| Geography and Cartography | Certificate | $40,962 | $57,021 | 8 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Certificate | $36,637 | $56,766 | 5 |
| Business/Commerce, General | Certificate | $71,550 | $56,649 | 14 |
| Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | Certificate | $49,667 | $55,025 | 48 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | Certificate | $75,635 | $54,382 | 33 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | Certificate | $42,611 | $54,088 | 10 |
| Physical Science Technologies/Technicians | Associate | $54,543 | $103,271 | 16 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | Associate | $75,253 | $89,155 | 6 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | Associate | $74,871 | $84,183 | 5 |
| Air Transportation | Associate | $66,957 | $82,532 | 15 |
| Fire Protection | Associate | $75,326 | $79,231 | 28 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate | $68,114 | $75,988 | 940 |
| Engineering Science | Associate | $61,518 | $73,244 | 10 |
| Engineering, General | Associate | $43,183 | $73,047 | 44 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | Associate | $58,261 | $72,827 | 56 |
| Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians | Associate | $59,357 | $72,698 | 11 |
Context: median earnings for all workers 25+, by education
Scorecard measures recent graduates. The Census ACS measures every worker age 25 and older, so these figures run higher for degree holders mid-career.
| Education level | Median earnings (ACS 2024) |
|---|---|
| High school graduate | $40,153 |
| Some college or associate | $47,260 |
| Bachelor's degree | $70,044 |
| Graduate or professional | $90,720 |
What the data shows
In our analysis, the credential you finish is the single biggest predictor of early-career pay. The typical bachelor's program pays $62,344 five years out, $17,482 more than an associate degree. That gap compounds: over a decade it adds up to well over $174,820 before taxes.
The field matters almost as much as the level. Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration leads bachelor's fields at $139,585, and the best-paying certificates, such as Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($72,079), out-earn many bachelor's programs. A short, targeted credential in a high-demand trade can beat a four-year degree in a low-paying field.
These are medians for federal-aid recipients, so they describe the middle graduate, not the best or worst outcome. They also cover people who stayed in the workforce; graduates who went on to more school are excluded.
Methodology
Program figures come from the College Scorecard field-of-study file: one record per institution × 4-digit CIP code × credential level. Earnings are median annual earnings of federal-aid recipients who completed the program and were working and not enrolled, measured 1, 4, and 5 years after completion (in the dollar year of the Scorecard release). Debt is the median federal loan balance (Stafford and Grad PLUS) at completion; private loans and Parent PLUS are excluded. Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education and drop out of each column.
When we summarize many programs, we take the median across programs weighted by the number of graduates in each program's earnings (or debt) cohort, so large programs count more than tiny ones.
Credential levels follow Scorecard codes: certificate (1), associate (2), bachelor's (3), master's (5), doctoral (6), and first professional (7). ACS figures are 2024 5-year medians for all workers 25+ and are shown for context only.
Frequently asked questions
How much do bachelor's degree holders earn 5 years after graduating?
About $62,344 a year at the median, based on College Scorecard earnings for 24,226 bachelor's programs measured five years after completion.
How much more does a bachelor's degree pay than an associate degree?
Five years after completion, the median bachelor's program pays $62,344 versus $44,862 for associate programs, a gap of $17,482 per year.
Do certificates pay off?
The median undergraduate certificate pays $32,190 five years out, below the ACS median for all high school graduates 25+ ($40,153). Results vary widely by field: top certificate fields such as Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing reach $72,079.
Which bachelor's degree pays the most after 5 years?
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration has the highest median at $139,585 among fields with at least 10 reporting programs, followed by Computer Science ($109,905).
Why are these numbers lower than other salary surveys?
Scorecard tracks recent graduates who received federal aid, early in their careers. Surveys of all workers (like the Census ACS, where bachelor's holders 25+ earn $70,044) include people with decades of experience.
Data sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard institution and field-of-study files (latest release in our extract)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year, table B20004 (median earnings by educational attainment, age 25+)