-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Auburn University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.5% → 0.0%).
Alabama · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Auburn
Auburn University is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, and one of the state's two flagship institutions. Established in 1856, it is known for its engineering, agriculture, veterinary, and business programs.
25,732 undergraduate students. 235 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at Auburn
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
+44%
Public bachelor's-predominant peer
10-year earnings at Auburn University are 44% above the public bachelor's-predominant peer median ($65.3k vs $45.2k).
+10%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at Auburn University rose 10% between 2021 and 2024 (55.2% → 60.7%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
Auburn earnings, debt, and completion vs. the Alabama median
Each tile compares this institution to the Alabama median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$65,337+20% · 6→10y
Alabama median $39,017$54,629
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry79.2%+26% · '97→'24
Alabama median 43.4%$17,750+133% · '97→'20
At program completion25,732+46% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS93.2%+12% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time50.5%-40% · '01→'24
latest cohort$12,536+323% · '00→'24
out-of-state $33,944SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How Auburn earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at Auburn
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.6%Median federal debt $17,750 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $65,337 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Auburn enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+26%
Auburn · completion · 150% rose
65.0% → 82.0%
+117%
Auburn · completion · 100% rose
28.0% → 60.7%
+12%
Auburn · retention rose
85.0% → 94.8%
+46%
Auburn · undergrad enrollment rose
18,337 → 26,816
+323%
Auburn · in-state tuition rose
$3,050 → $12,890
+282%
Auburn · out-of-state tuition rose
$9,150 → $34,922
+133%
Auburn · median debt rose
$9,000 → $21,000
-100%
Auburn · cohort default rate fell
6.8% → 0.0%
+34%
Auburn · earnings_median_10yr rose
$48,900 → $65,337
+38%
Auburn · earnings_median_8yr rose
$44,400 → $61,406
+38%
Auburn · earnings_median_6yr rose
$39,700 → $54,629
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Auburn programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Business Administration, Management and Operations$145,621Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration$139,069Veterinary Medicine$120,989Management Information Systems and Services$117,240Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$113,998Architectural Engineering$109,639Real Estate Development$108,864Chemical Engineering$108,040Computer and Information Sciences, General$104,342Architectural Engineering$99,989Computer Engineering$98,999Accounting and Related Services$96,671Industrial Engineering$96,383Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering$95,997Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$94,383International Business$92,899Mechanical Engineering$91,940Psychology, General$89,669Educational Administration and Supervision$86,130Finance and Financial Management Services$83,481Civil Engineering$81,856Accounting and Related Services$79,838Biology, General$78,788Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$78,470
Showing top 24 of 66 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
66 Auburn programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$46,730Special Education and Teaching$50,705Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$58,932Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$52,004Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$63,575Student Counseling and Personnel Services$46,214Educational Administration and Supervision$58,172Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$78,470Special Education and Teaching$53,559Educational Administration and Supervision$86,130
ENGINEERING · CIP 14
Mechanical Engineering$91,940Architectural Engineering$99,989Computer Engineering$98,999Industrial Engineering$96,383Civil Engineering$81,856Chemical Engineering$108,040Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering$95,997Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$94,383Biological/Biosystems Engineering$75,397Architectural Engineering$109,639
FOREIGN LANGUAGES · CIP 16
FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES · CIP 19
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS · CIP 27
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$71,237Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration$139,069Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$54,812Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$113,998Health and Medical Administrative Services$70,747Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$55,451
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
Business Administration, Management and Operations$76,513Marketing$67,766Finance and Financial Management Services$83,481Business Administration, Management and Operations$145,621Accounting and Related Services$79,838Accounting and Related Services$96,671Hospitality Administration/Management$53,091Management Information Systems and Services$117,240International Business$92,899Human Resources Management and Services$61,907
HISTORY · CIP 54
AGRICULTURE · CIP 01
NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03
ARCHITECTURE · CIP 04
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to Auburn in Alabama
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Auburn graduates earn $X” — not “Auburn makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Auburn caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.