How much money do Cornell University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $68,400 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $98,400 on average.
In terms of specific areas of study, the following is a ranking of degree programs by the median first-year starting salaries for Cornell graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Science with a median starting salary of $116,300 followed by Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering paying $87,200 and Operations Research graduates who have a median starting income of $79,900 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Law (Doctoral Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $175,200 followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $142,300 and Computer Science (Master's Degree) who earn $113,700 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for Cornell University graduates who received federal financial aid in the form of grants or loans. Not all graduates or fields of study are represented as data for some degree programs are omitted for privacy purposes.
| Major | Earnings |
|---|---|
| Law (Doctoral Degree) | $175,200 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $142,300 |
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $116,300 |
| Computer Science (Master's Degree) | $113,700 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) | $107,100 |
| Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degree) | $95,100 |
| Operations Research (Master's Degree) | $94,500 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) | $94,100 |
| Systems Engineering (Master's Degree) | $88,500 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $87,200 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $79,900 |
| Operations Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $79,900 |
| Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $79,600 |
| Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $77,500 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $76,300 |
| Chemical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $75,600 |
| Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $73,900 |
| Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $73,300 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $72,700 |
| Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) | $71,500 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $67,500 |
| Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $67,100 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $66,700 |
| Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $66,700 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) | $66,200 |
| Medicine (First Professional Degree) | $61,700 |
| Veterinary Medicine (Doctoral Degree) | $61,300 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $57,900 |
| Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor’s Degree) | $55,500 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management (Master's Degree) | $53,500 |
| Agricultural Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $51,200 |
| City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Master's Degree) | $51,000 |
| Public Administration (Master's Degree) | $49,100 |
| Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) | $48,400 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $47,100 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $45,100 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $44,400 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $43,300 |
| Area Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,800 |
| City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,500 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,100 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,000 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,200 |
| Agriculture (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,500 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,400 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,800 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,200 |
| Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,000 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,000 |
| Nutrition Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,700 |
| Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,300 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=190415 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for Cornell University.