Higher Education Outcome Report · West

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Alaska Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 5 degree-granting institutions graded

Alaska's higher education system is a lower earnings system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $45,199, -12% vs the national median.

oil & gas
fishing & maritime
tourism

10
INSTITUTIONS: $45,199
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▼ -12% vs natl; $14,476
AVG NET PRICE: 5 / 3
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

insufficient data

Alaska At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

5

11,944 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~950

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings

$50,369

10 yrs after entry
Mobility Score

N/A

Limited data (under 5 schools)
Talent Retention

68%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio

3.3x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Healthcare
Humanities
Business

Executive Summary

Alaska graduates earn a median of $50,369 a decade after entry, 3% above the national state average.
Degree production is led by Healthcare and Humanities, which together account for 40% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Humanities shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 18.2% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

-1.2%

Median graduate earnings in Alaska are below the national average by 1%.
Cost vs National

-12%

Net price in Alaska is lower than the national average by 12%.
Completion Rate

-10.8pp

Alaska's graduation rate is 10.8 percentage points below the national average.
Best Value

5.9x

Top value school: Ilisagvik College ($39,541 earnings vs $6,743 net price).

Education Output Profile

Healthcare (23% of graduates) and Humanities (17% of graduates) dominate Alaska's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $47,388.

Healthcare

23%

$47,388 avg
Humanities

17%

$36,948 avg
Business

16%

$51,310 avg
Trades

10%

$50,589 avg
Social Sciences

8%

$51,227 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 14

Outcome Performance

Alaska's highest-ROI degree cluster is Trades (Mechanic & Repair Tech), where graduates average $50,369 against a net cost of $13,097, a 3.8x return. That's -2.3% vs the national median.

Mechanic & Repair Tech
3.8x

$50,369 earnings $13,097 net -2.3% vs natl
Computer Science & IT
3.8x

$50,369 earnings $13,097 net -2.3% vs natl
Engineering
3.8x

$50,369 earnings $13,097 net -2.3% vs natl
Biology & Biomedical
3.8x

$50,369 earnings $13,097 net -2.3% vs natl
Visual & Performing Arts
3.8x

$50,369 earnings $13,097 net -2.3% vs natl
Transportation
3.8x

$50,369 earnings $13,097 net -2.3% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Alaska's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Health Professions 23%
Business & Marketing 16%
Humanities 16%
Mechanic & Repair Tech 6%
Psychology 6%

Highest-Earning Fields

Psychology $51,541
Business & Marketing $51,310
Mechanic & Repair Tech $50,504
Computer Science & IT $50,336
Social Sciences $50,288

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Alaska's graduate supply.

Computer Science & IT $50,336 4% of grads
Social Sciences $50,288 2% of grads

Labor Market Alignment

Humanities graduates, however, earn 18.2% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Healthcare
23% of enrollment

$45,199 -12.4% vs natl

4 schools
Humanities
17% of enrollment

$42,175 -18.2% vs natl

3 schools
Business
16% of enrollment

$51,669 +0.2% vs natl

3 schools
Social Sciences
8% of enrollment

$50,369 -2.3% vs natl

2 schools

Potential Oversupply Signals

Humanities: -18.2% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Healthcare: -12.4% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Alaska's higher education system includes 1 research-oriented, 1 specialized, 1 access-oriented, 2 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

1

Research Universities
2

Regional Universities
1

Access-Oriented Institutions
1

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

University of Alaska Fairbanks $48,866

Access-Oriented Institutions

Alaska Christian College 71% Pell

Cost & Access Corridors

40% of Alaska's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $37,327 at 10 years.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

2

40% of schools
Avg earnings: $37,327
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

3

60% of schools
Avg earnings: $53,071

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Alaska

Alaska is home to 10 colleges and universities, from 5 public institutions to 3 private nonprofits. University of Alaska Anchorage anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $43,318 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Anchorage, Palmer and Fairbanks, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Humanities. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Alaska

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $15,913 a year across Alaska. University of Alaska Fairbanks stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Alaska's economy leans on oil & gas, fishing & maritime and tourism, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Humanities feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Alaska level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Alaska earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$43,318

▼ $-519 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$15,913

▲ $-2,163 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2.7x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

Is Alaska Right for You?

Alaska is a strong fit if you want to build a career in oil & gas and fishing & maritime, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Top Schools

Alaska Pacific University · AK University of Alaska Anchorage · AK Alaska Vocational Technical Center · AK University of Alaska Fairbanks · AK University of Alaska Southeast · AK Ilisagvik College · AK

FAQ

How many colleges are in Alaska?

There are 10 colleges and universities in Alaska in our dataset — 5 public, 3 private nonprofit.

What is the highest-earning college in Alaska?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Alaska Pacific University leads, followed by schools like University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Vocational Technical Center.

How much does college cost in Alaska?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $15,913 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Alaska?

Alaska's economy is anchored by oil & gas, fishing & maritime and tourism, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Alaska?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. University of Alaska Fairbanks, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 10 schools in Alaska

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

10 institutions in Alaska

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.

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