by our College Data Analytics Team
[Human Services](/majors/social-services-public-administration/human-services/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
College Factual analyzed 5 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying human services schools.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send human services graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
University Of Phoenix Arizona earned the #1 spot for highest-paid human services graduates in the Southwest Region. Set in the city of Phoenix, University Of Phoenix Arizona is a private for-profit institution. Students who complete the human services program here go on to a median salary of roughly $45,959.
A rank of #2 makes Grand Canyon University one of the highest-paying schools for human services. Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix. After graduating, human services degree recipients from Grand Canyon University typically earn about $45,006 annually.
Wayland Baptist University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in human services, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the town of Plainview, Wayland Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the human services program here go on to a median salary of roughly $42,812.
Strong graduate earnings at East Central University earned it the #4 place for human services. Set in the town of Ada, East Central University is a public institution. After graduating, human services degree recipients from East Central University typically earn about $42,443 annually.
A rank of #5 makes Ottawa University Surprise one of the highest-paying schools for human services. Set in the suburb of Surprise, Ottawa University Surprise is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career human services graduates from Ottawa University Surprise make a median of around $35,168 per year.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries human services graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 5 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.