As LSU’s largest, most diverse freshman class officially began the fall semester, the more than 6,000 new students were welcomed with the news that LSU is the top public university in Louisiana and a leader in the SEC in one of the most important outcomes for today’s students: return on investment.
In the latest Payscale 2019-20 College Salary Report, LSU graduates are the highest ranked in Louisiana among public universities for both early-career and mid-career earnings. When looking at public SEC peers, LSU ranks third for early-career earnings behind only Texas A&M University and University of Florida, and third in mid-career earnings behind only Texas A&M University and Auburn University.
Among the 50 public flagship universities in the nation, LSU ranks in the top half in both early-career and mid-career earnings – 21st in early career earnings and 16th in mid-career earnings.
“Outcomes matter to our students and their families,” said LSU President F. King Alexander. “As we continue to break records by graduating and recruiting our largest, most successful and most diverse classes on record, we also pay careful attention to the markers that demonstrate their success. That’s what drives the mission of a flagship university with land-, sea, and space-grant designations, and I’m proud that we are once again highly ranked in these metrics that demonstrate real impact.”
According to Payscale, a student who earns a bachelor’s degree from LSU has early-career earnings of $54,800 and mid-career earnings of $102,900 – the highest among all public universities in Louisiana. This is an increase from early-career earnings of $51,800 and mid-career earnings of $98,800 in last year’s Payscale report.
When considering all alumni who attended LSU, graduates have early-career earnings of $55,900 and mid-career earnings of $105,400 – also the highest among Louisiana public universities. This is an increase from early-career earnings of $52,700 and mid-career earnings of $100,400 in last year’s Payscale report.
Payscale’s early-career earnings metric is the median salary for alumni with 0-5 years of experience, while mid-career earnings is the median salary for alumni with 10 or more years of experience. The PayScale College Salary Report 2019-2020 includes 1,736 of the 2,167 eligible bachelor’s degree granting schools in the U.S, and 1,624 of the 20,88 eligible associate degree granting schools.
For more information about achievements at LSU, visit www.lsu.edu/accolades.
Across the SEC:
Early Career Earnings (graduates who received a bachelor’s degree):
Vanderbilt University* – $64,400 (private university)
Texas A&M University – $66,600
University of Florida – $55,800
LSU – $54,800
5(t). Auburn University – $54,400
5(t). University of Georgia – $54,400
University of Arkansas – $52,500
8(t). University of Missouri – $52,300
8(t). University of Alabama – $52,300
University of Kentucky – $51,700
11(t.). Mississippi State University – $51,100
11(t). University of Tennessee – $51,100
University of South Carolina – $50,300
University of Mississippi – $48,500
Mid-Career Earnings (graduates who received a bachelor’s degree):
Vanderbilt University* – $119,100 (private university)
Texas A&M University – $115,700
Auburn University – $104,500
LSU – $102,900
University of Florida – $102,800
University of Georgia – $100,700
University of Missouri – $98,600
University of Arkansas – $98,000
University of Alabama – $97,400
University of Kentucky – $96,400
University of Tennessee – $95,100
Mississippi State University – 94,100
University of South Carolina – $89,900
University of Mississippi – $89,100