College Majors Top $200K Median Salary Four Years Out

A higher education research firm's study ranks college majors by median graduate income four years after graduation, with several topping $200,000.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Financial Aid

College Majors Top $200K Median Salary Four Years Out

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HEA Group, a higher education research firm, published a study analyzing federal data on median incomes of graduates four years after graduation by school and major. Several majors, including Duke University mathematics at $297,029, posted medians above $200,000.

Why it matters

The data were collected in part because of a federal law passed last year requiring study of median graduate incomes for federal financial aid recipients. Under that framework, students in a major whose graduates do not out-earn high school graduates for two of three years may lose eligibility for certain federal student loans.

Median earnings four years after graduation range from $297,029 for Duke mathematics majors to $228,705 for UCLA computer engineering graduates. The stub does not address how these figures compare with national averages for all graduates.

The players

HEA Group

HEA Group is a higher education research firm that analyzed federal data for this study.

Duke University

Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina, whose mathematics graduates posted the highest median salary in the study.

Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whose computer science and engineering graduates earned among the highest medians in the study.

The details

The study used federal data on graduate incomes by school and major. Featured programs include Carnegie Mellon computer science and electrical engineering, University of Pennsylvania computer and information sciences, Harvard statistics, and UCLA computer engineering.

Median earnings are measured four years after graduation.
The federal law requiring graduate income study passed last year.
The HEA Group study was published November 1, 2026.

Roadmap

The study operationalizes a federal requirement that ties student loan eligibility to graduate earnings by major. It places earnings outcomes at the center of aid decisions for specific programs.

Students comparing majors can use median four-year earnings figures alongside tuition costs, such as UCLA's in-state tuition and fees of $16,430, when weighing program choices. Families should check whether a program's graduates meet the federal earnings threshold that determines student loan eligibility.

The takeaway

Median earnings vary sharply by major and school, so comparing programs on post-graduation income can inform decisions before borrowing. Reviewing the federal earnings data for a chosen field helps clarify the financial trade-offs of a degree.