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State profile · 10 colleges · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Colleges in Alaska

Colleges in Alaska from PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset, compared on acceptance, cost, and 10-year former-student earnings.

10
Colleges
$43,318
Avg 10-yr earnings (9 of 10)
84.1%
Avg acceptance

Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

Alaska · the picture in one line

Alaska's 9 of 10 colleges that report earnings average $43,318 in 10-year former-student earnings - 30th highest of 56 states and territories that report.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

#30
of 56 states by avg former-student earnings
$54,271
top earnings - Alaska Pacific University
84.1%
avg acceptance (3 reporting)
5 / 3 / 2
public / nonprofit / for-profit

Best earnings-to-cost value among Alaska colleges with reported figures: Alaska Vocational Technical Center.

Alaska · enrollment ≠ earnings

In Alaska, University of Alaska Anchorage leads by undergraduate enrollment (7,212 students, #1 of 9) but ranks #2 of 9 on 10-year median earnings ($51,871), while Alaska Pacific University tops earnings at $54,271 (#1 of 9) with 457 students (#5 of 9). The biggest campus is not always the highest-paying outcome.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

7,212
University of enrollment #1
$54,271
Alaska Pacific earnings #1
#1
Enrollment rank of earnings leader
#2
Earnings rank of enrollment leader

Enrollment is IPEDS fall headcount; earnings are Scorecard 10-year medians for federally aided former students. Different populations, not one ROI ratio.

Enrollment of Alaska's #1 campuses by size vs earnings

Same unit (undergraduate students) for both named leaders.

students

What this shows University of Alaska Anchorage is largest by enrollment; Alaska Pacific University leads on 10-year earnings at $54,271.

Source IPEDS via College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

This page aggregates colleges and universities in Alaska returned by PlainCollege's U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard snapshot. It combines IPEDS-derived institutional fields with Treasury-derived earnings published for federal-aid recipients. Coverage includes public flagships, regional comprehensives, community and technical colleges, private nonprofit institutions, and for-profit schools.

The state-aggregate statistics below include all reporting institutions in Alaska as a single denominator, community colleges, public universities, private nonprofits, and for-profit institutions are pooled. State averages are therefore useful for high-level framing (in-state tuition is X, average admission rate is Y, average earnings are Z) but should not be read as representative of any specific sector or institution. Drill into individual school profiles for the full picture: admissions, costs (sticker and net), federal-aid usage, completion, retention, demographics, and earnings outcomes 6 and 10 years after enrollment.

The Scorecard data used here was retrieved in March–July 2026. That retrieval window is not the measurement year: tuition and enrollment fields retain their source reporting periods, while 10-year institution earnings describe federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year, a decade after entry.

Largest Colleges in Alaska by Enrollment

IPEDS Fall enrollment via College Scorecard.

students

What this shows Enrollment size reflects institutional scale, not quality or on-campus experience - a large school here can still be a small, selective program relative to its state peers.

Source IPEDS As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Highest Earnings, 10-Year Median: Alaska

U.S. Treasury earnings linkage via College Scorecard.

USD

What this shows Former-student earnings vary by program mix and local labor market as much as by the school itself; this comparison does not isolate a school's causal effect.

Source College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

The ROI lens

Alaska colleges: earnings vs. cost

Alaska colleges, positioned by earnings vs net price Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 9 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Alaska colleges, positioned by earnings vs net price COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $22K $57K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $6K $37K Avg Net Price ($) University of Alaska Anchorage: $52K earn · $15K net · 29% grad University of Alas… University of Alaska Fairbanks: $49K earn · $11K net · 35% grad University of Alas… Charter College: $36K earn · $35K net · 57% grad Charter College University of Alaska Southeast: $48K earn · $12K net · 29% grad University of Alas… Alaska Pacific University: $54K earn · $22K net · 47% grad Alaska Pacific Uni… Alaska Career College: $34K earn · $20K net · 67% grad Alaska Career Coll… Ilisagvik College: $40K earn · $7K net · 43% grad Alaska Vocational Technical Center: $51K earn · $13K net · 92% grad Alaska Christian College: $26K earn · $7K net · 12% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

National context

How Alaska ranks among the states

Alaska's average 10-year earnings of $43,318 place it in the 46th percentile among all 56 states and territories tracked by the College Scorecard.

Alaska: average former-student earnings vs. every state

State-average 10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$43,318 46th percentile higher than 46% of 56 states & territories

$24,000–$28,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Below this entry. $28,000–$32,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $32,000–$36,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Below this entry. $36,000–$40,000: 12 states & territories (21%). Below this entry. $40,000–$44,000: 14 states & territories (25%). This entry sits in this band. $44,000–$48,000: 10 states & territories (18%). Above this entry. $48,000–$52,000: 7 states & territories (13%). Above this entry. $52,000–$56,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Above this entry. $56,000–$60,000: 3 states & territories (5%). Above this entry. AK $24,000 $60,000 every state, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $4K-wide band; taller bars hold more states & territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Alaska vs. every state, at a glance
EarningsAffordabilityOptionsAccess

Each axis is this state's percentile among all states & territories on that metric (Earnings/Affordability/Options/Access) -- not a composite grade, just four independent comparisons in one shape.

10
Total Schools
$10,914
Avg In-State Tuition (8 of 10)
84.1%
Avg Acceptance Rate (3 of 10)
$43,318
Avg Median Earnings (9 of 10)
5 Public 3 Private NP 2 For-Profit
Ownership Breakdown

What the IPEDS Data Shows for Colleges in Alaska

PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset contains 10 postsecondary institutions in Alaska. The ownership mix is 5 public institutions, 3 private nonprofits, and 2 private for-profit schools. Public institutions often report lower in-state tuition because state appropriations subsidize the published price, while private nonprofits may show higher sticker prices partly offset by institutional aid.

Cost and selectivity signals vary widely even within a single state. The average in-state tuition among the 8 of 10 Alaska institutions that report one is $10,914, and the average admission rate among the 3 that report one sits at 84.1%. Admission rates from IPEDS exclude open-enrollment institutions, which is why community colleges and many for-profits show as unreported rather than at 100 percent. Looking at the table, the acceptance-rate column is blank for schools that don’t screen applicants, a meaningful distinction when evaluating selectivity alongside earnings.

Institution-level earnings connect cost to one observed outcome. Among the 9 of 10 Alaska colleges that report 10-year median earnings, federally aided former students show a mean of $43,318, based on Treasury-derived records published through the Scorecard. Because earnings depend heavily on field of study, student background, and local labor markets, state-level averages should be read alongside each school’s program mix. The table sorts institutions with reported IPEDS enrollment so users can compare acceptance rates, enrollment scale, and median earnings side by side.

All Schools in Alaska

School Name City Type Enrollment Acceptance Rate 10yr Earnings
University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage Public 7,212 - $51,871
University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Public 4,207 - $48,866
Charter College Anchorage For-Profit 2,157 - $35,504
University of Alaska Southeast Juneau Public 907 63.3% $48,475
Alaska Pacific University Anchorage Private NP 457 96.5% $54,271
Alaska Career College Anchorage For-Profit 250 - $34,468
Ilisagvik College Barrow Public 126 - $39,541
Alaska Vocational Technical Center Seward Public 107 - $51,083
Alaska Christian College Soldotna Private NP 44 92.5% $25,787
Alaska Bible College Palmer Private NP 24 - -

Featured Colleges in Alaska

Quick picks from this state – compare two schools side by side

University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, AK
7,212 students
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK
4,207 students
Charter College
Anchorage, AK
2,157 students
University of Alaska Southeast
Juneau, AK
907 students
Alaska Pacific University
Anchorage, AK
457 students
Compare University of Alaska Anchorage vs University of Alaska Fairbanks →

Explore more Alaska data

Highest-earning colleges → Best value colleges → ROI calculator → Compare states →

Guides & Resources

Is College Worth It?

A data-driven answer using earnings and cost data.

How to Compare Colleges

A framework for picking schools with data, not rankings alone.

Financial Aid & Net Price

How net price differs from sticker price and financial aid.

Understanding College Earnings Data

How Scorecard earnings figures are measured and their limits.

About This Data

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, PlainCollege's current snapshots were retrieved in March–July 2026. This state's institution-level figures come from the July retrieval, including IPEDS-derived characteristics. Earnings represent median income 10 years after enrollment for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year, using U.S. Treasury-derived records published through the Scorecard.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What this means for Alaska applicants

  • Alaska has 10 colleges in PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset, spanning community colleges, public flagships, and private institutions.
  • Average reported admission rate across Alaska colleges is 84.1% - individual schools vary widely, check each profile for its own rate.
  • State-level averages pool every reporting institution together; run a specific school's numbers before assuming the state figure applies to it.Use the ROI calculator

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or educational advice. State-level averages pool every reporting institution and do not predict any individual school's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. State-level rollups are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.