Where does the data come from?
Georgia earnings data comes from GA·AWARDS (Georgia’s Academic and Workforce Analysis and Research Data System), the statewide longitudinal data system housed by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. GA·AWARDS is comprised of education and workforce data from a variety of state agencies, including data about degrees awarded as provided by USG. Workforce data is supplied by the Georgia Department of Labor and comes from unemployment insurance (UI) records.

National earnings data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. This data is also based on unemployment insurance records but includes other federal data that expand its coverage to employment across the country.

Loan debt data comes from the University System of Georgia Academic Data Collection.

What kind of earnings are reported?
Georgia and national earnings data reflect gross earnings, meaning it is what an individual earns before taxes, benefits, and other payroll deductions are withheld.  

Who is included/excluded in the earnings data?
Data includes all USG graduates who are subsequently employed full-time one, five or 10 years out from graduation:  

• Georgia earnings data is limited to those employed in UI-covered jobs in Georgia, which excludes graduates who are employed out-of-state, self-employed or employed by the federal government or military.
• National earnings data includes those employed in UI-covered jobs in any state, as well as many employed by the federal government. Notable exclusions are those who are self-employed, state and local elected officials, White House officials, members of Congress, members of the armed forces and U.S. Postal Service workers.
• To protect student privacy and increase generalizability, earnings are not shown for majors that have fewer than 10 graduates found working full-time, as described below.
• Full-time employment is determined as working at least three quarters of the calendar year and earning at least the federal minimum wage for full-time work ($15,080 annually). Graduates working fewer than three quarters or earning less than $15,080 in the calendar year are excluded.
• The calendar year for one year after graduation is recorded as the first full calendar year following the graduation term. Employment for five and 10 years follows the same logic.
• A graduate is shown in earnings data, even if subsequently re-enrolled in postsecondary education, so long as they meet the conditions of full-time employment.

How should earnings be interpreted over time?
For graduates between 2007 and 2023, Georgia earnings data is available from the point of graduation through 2024. National earnings data is available for graduates from 2001-2019 from the point of graduation through 2023. Enough time needs to have elapsed to count earnings five or 10 years after graduation. For example, 10-year earnings are only available for graduates prior to 2015.

Individuals may move out of the labor force or out of state (applicable to Georgia earnings data) over time. As a result, when looking at the one, five or 10-year earnings for a particular institution or major, it is important to recognize that the population of full-time workers will differ at each point in time. 

How are earnings calculated?
The earnings used in Your Future Earnings are calculated as follows:

• Earnings represent the sum of all wages earned in the calendar year for full-time workers.
• Wages have been converted to 2025 dollars using the national Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers.
• For graduates earning multiple degrees:
  • Georgia earnings data: Wages are associated with the highest degree earned. A student earning multiple degrees at the same level, like dual bachelor’s degrees, will have their wages associated with each degree’s academic program. Once a graduate earns a degree at a higher level, wages will be associated with the advanced degree and no longer the previously held degree.
  • National earnings data: If a graduate earns degrees at more than one degree level, their earnings will be associated with all those degrees. For example, a bachelor’s degree recipient will not be removed from the bachelor’s degree level, even if they earn a master’s degree later.

Do the data reflect graduates’ earnings in their selected fields of study?
Not necessarily. There are no occupation-level classifications related to job titles or duties that would definitively determine whether a graduate’s specific job is in a field related to their degree or major.

What is the difference between the Georgia earnings data and the national earnings data?
Georgia earnings data comes from GA·AWARDS and is limited to full-time employment within the state. the national earnings data comes from the Census Bureau and includes full-time employment across the nation.

Georgia earnings data includes USG graduates from 2007-2023. The national earnings data includes USG graduates from 2001-2019. 

Georgia earnings data only includes earnings for the highest degree awarded for individuals who earned multiple degrees. The national earnings data includes earnings for all degrees awarded to individuals. 

Georgia earnings data shows more detailed information about majors by using a 6-digit CIP code. The national earnings data shows information about majors by using a 4-digit CIP code.

What kind of borrowing data is reported?
Data for all loans that are processed through an institution’s financial aid and bursar’s office are included. This can include federal, state, institutional and most external loans. 

Who is included/excluded in the borrowing data?
Debt is calculated for associate and bachelor’s graduates who started their degree at the same institution from which they graduated; graduates who transferred to their institution are excluded from debt calculations to provide the most accurate depiction of debt accrued from the institution selected.

How is debt calculated?

The debt reported in Your Future Earnings is calculated as follows:

• Total debt at the time of graduation for bachelor’s and associate graduates.
• Debt is only calculated for graduates who earned their degree from the institution where they first enrolled.
• All debt has been converted to 2025 dollars using the national Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers.
• When median debt is reported, it is only among graduates who had loans.

How is monthly debt payment calculated?

• A fixed interest rate of 6.8% is applied to the total loan amount. This is an estimate; actual rates on federal student loans are set each year by the U.S. Congress.
• Monthly payment is based on a payment plan of 10 years (120 months).

Do the data reflect graduates’ debt in their selected fields of study?
Not necessarily. Graduates’ debt depends on cost of attendance (which varies more by institution than academic program), family income and receipt of scholarships and grants.

Do the data reflect the majors currently offered by a college or university?
No. Over time, the mix of academic programs a university or college offers can change. This means you may see earnings and borrowing data for a degree that is no longer offered. You should consult with the institution to confirm whether a major is currently offered. 

How are majors defined?
Majors are defined by the National Center for Education Statistics Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP), although specific program names may differ slightly by institution. More detailed majors are provided for the Earnings After Graduation, Compare Between Majors and Compare Between Schools pages, while broader major categories are provided on the Range of Earnings by Academic Area, Loan Debt at Graduation and Compare Earnings and Loan Payments pages. When viewing the national data, more detailed majors are provided for bachelor’s degrees and broader major categories are provided for other award levels.

How is median wage for high school graduates defined?
The median wage for high school graduates comes from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample files and is calculated for high school graduates aged 25-34 who worked at least 39 weeks of the year and earned at least the equivalent of full-time minimum wage (15,080) in salary income.

How are student groups defined?
First generation students are those whose parents have associate degrees or less OR one parent has an associate degree or less and the education level of the second parent is unknown or missing. If at least one parent has a bachelor’s degree or higher OR education level of both parents is unknown or missing, then the student is defaulted to NOT first generation. 

Pell recipients are students who received the Pell grant at any point while they were enrolled. Non-Pell students never received the Pell grant. 

Gender is defined here as either male or female. Gender information is self-reported by the student at the time of application, but it is not required. Institutions collect gender at registration if no information is provided on the application. The category “unknown” is not allowed in USG reporting. If a student chooses not to indicate gender, the institution makes a judgement. 

Race/Ethnicity is self-reported by the student at the time of application, but it is not required. These categories are used to describe groups to which individuals belong, identify with, or belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote scientific definitions of anthropological origins. A student that identifies as being of Hispanic ethnicity is classified as Hispanic. All students that are not Hispanic are classified as a specific race. If a student selects more than one race, they are classified as Two or More Races. Students who do not declare race/ethnicity are classified as Race and Ethnicity Unknown. Note: this dashboard does not use the IPEDS category of ‘non-resident alien.’

Asian: A person identifying as having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent.

Black or African American: A person identifying as having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, except those of Hispanic origin.

Hispanic/Latino: A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. 

Other Race: A person classified as American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Race and Ethnicity Unknown, or Two or More Races.

White: A person identifying as having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East, except those of Hispanic origin. 

How are consolidated institutions reported?
Data for institutions that experienced consolidation is retroactively consolidated in years prior to the merger.  

When will this website be updated?
Data will be updated each time there is a new full calendar year of earnings data available in GA·AWARDS.