Computer and Information Sciences, General: is this associate's degree worth it?
National picture across 142 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff
−$18,396 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.
At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.
12.0 yrsModeled economic break-even
−17%Modeled 10-year ROI
$54,238Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$54,238Median reported earnings · year 4
$52,992Average reported earnings · year 5
$14,440Median federal debt
63thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
142Reporting programs
130With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $51,790
- Federal debt
- $10,938
- Reporting programs
- 53
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $54,238
- Federal debt
- $14,440
- Reporting programs
- 142
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $84,860
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Reporting programs
- 489
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $125,902
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 78
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $158,849
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $105,731
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 2
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $87,038
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 3
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$46,687National median$54,23875th percentile$62,231
130 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Montgomery College$85,4382Howard Community College$80,8403College of Southern Maryland$80,3494Community College of Baltimore County$79,1445Austin Community College District$77,2486Middlesex Community College$76,6807Park University$75,9028Wake Technical Community College$74,2419Salt Lake Community College$74,20010Chemeketa Community College$73,427Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Computer and Information Research ScientistsSOC 15-1221 · 5 crosswalk linksComputer Science Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1021 · 3 crosswalk linksSoftware DevelopersSOC 15-1252 · 3 crosswalk linksSoftware Quality Assurance Analysts and TestersSOC 15-1253 · 3 crosswalk linksWeb and Digital Interface DesignersSOC 15-1255 · 3 crosswalk linksComputer Network ArchitectsSOC 15-1241 · 2 crosswalk linksComputer Systems AnalystsSOC 15-1211 · 2 crosswalk linksComputer and Information Systems ManagersSOC 11-3021 · 2 crosswalk linksData ScientistsSOC 15-2051 · 2 crosswalk linksDatabase ArchitectsSOC 15-1243 · 2 crosswalk linksComputer Occupations, All OtherSOC 15-1299 · 1 crosswalk linksDatabase AdministratorsSOC 15-1242 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 10-year ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montgomery CollegeAssociate's Degree | Rockville, MD | $85,438 | $11,000 | +281% | Strong payoff |
| 2 | Howard Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Columbia, MD | $80,840 | Not available | +219% | Strong payoff |
| 3 | College of Southern MarylandAssociate's Degree | La Plata, MD | $80,349 | Not available | +226% | Strong payoff |
| 4 | Community College of Baltimore CountyAssociate's Degree | Baltimore, MD | $79,144 | $11,602 | +211% | Strong payoff |
| 5 | Austin Community College DistrictAssociate's Degree | Austin, TX | $77,248 | $13,000 | +214% | Strong payoff |
| 6 | Middlesex Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Bedford, MA | $76,680 | $8,250 | +233% | Strong payoff |
| 7 | Park UniversityAssociate's Degree | Parkville, MO | $75,902 | Not available | +134% | Strong payoff |
| 8 | Wake Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Raleigh, NC | $74,241 | $17,698 | +172% | Strong payoff |
| 9 | Salt Lake Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Salt Lake City, UT | $74,200 | $10,250 | +166% | Strong payoff |
| 10 | Chemeketa Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Salem, OR | $73,427 | $9,000 | +167% | Strong payoff |
| 11 | Columbia CollegeAssociate's Degree | Columbia, MO | $71,989 | $29,112 | +99% | Positive payoff |
| 12 | Arapahoe Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Littleton, CO | $71,635 | Not available | +135% | Strong payoff |
| 13 | Middlesex CollegeAssociate's Degree | Edison, NJ | $70,069 | Not available | +165% | Strong payoff |
| 14 | Central Piedmont Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Charlotte, NC | $69,094 | $10,456 | +149% | Strong payoff |
| 15 | Metropolitan Community College AreaAssociate's Degree | Omaha, NE | $68,711 | $14,340 | +137% | Strong payoff |
| 16 | Seminole State College of FloridaAssociate's Degree | Sanford, FL | $67,998 | $13,576 | +113% | Strong payoff |
| 17 | Northern Virginia Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Annandale, VA | $67,847 | $10,490 | +108% | Strong payoff |
| 18 | Southern New Hampshire UniversityAssociate's Degree | Manchester, NH | $67,194 | $22,164 | +36% | Positive payoff |
| 19 | Cameron UniversityAssociate's Degree | Lawton, OK | $67,022 | $22,000 | +97% | Positive payoff |
| 20 | Linn-Benton Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Albany, OR | $66,566 | Not available | +91% | Positive payoff |
| 21 | Oklahoma City Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Oklahoma City, OK | $66,525 | $15,461 | +116% | Strong payoff |
| 22 | Passaic County Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Paterson, NJ | $66,375 | $13,575 | +103% | Strong payoff |
| 23 | Colorado Technical University-Colorado SpringsAssociate's Degree | Colorado Springs, CO | $65,552 | $17,284 | +66% | Positive payoff |
| 24 | Germanna Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Locust Grove, VA | $65,361 | Not available | +101% | Strong payoff |
| 25 | Delaware Technical Community College-TerryAssociate's Degree | Dover, DE | $64,667 | $9,768 | +74% | Positive payoff |
| 26 | Florida State College at JacksonvilleAssociate's Degree | Jacksonville, FL | $64,039 | Not available | +94% | Positive payoff |
| 27 | Northern Essex Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Haverhill, MA | $63,596 | $15,625 | +82% | Positive payoff |
| 28 | Northwest Vista CollegeAssociate's Degree | San Antonio, TX | $63,465 | Not available | +86% | Positive payoff |
| 29 | Brookdale Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Lincroft, NJ | $63,402 | $11,286 | +64% | Positive payoff |
| 30 | Northeast Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Norfolk, NE | $62,810 | $12,000 | +66% | Positive payoff |
| 31 | Tarrant County College DistrictAssociate's Degree | Fort Worth, TX | $62,594 | $13,463 | +78% | Positive payoff |
| 32 | Southeast Community College AreaAssociate's Degree | Lincoln, NE | $62,546 | $19,140 | +62% | Positive payoff |
| 33 | Elizabethtown Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Elizabethtown, KY | $62,512 | $16,000 | +75% | Positive payoff |
| 34 | Minnesota State Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Fergus Falls, MN | $62,231 | $20,000 | +50% | Positive payoff |
| 35 | UCNJ Union College of Union County New JerseyAssociate's Degree | Cranford, NJ | $62,102 | $11,000 | +61% | Positive payoff |
| 36 | Nashville State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Nashville, TN | $61,289 | $9,125 | +57% | Positive payoff |
| 37 | Pellissippi State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Knoxville, TN | $60,943 | $10,000 | +59% | Positive payoff |
| 38 | Hudson County Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Jersey City, NJ | $59,480 | $16,697 | +38% | Positive payoff |
| 39 | Gateway Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Florence, KY | $59,332 | $16,050 | +41% | Positive payoff |
| 40 | CUNY New York City College of TechnologyAssociate's Degree | Brooklyn, NY | $59,137 | Not available | +41% | Positive payoff |
| 41 | Erie Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Buffalo, NY | $58,940 | $12,000 | +32% | Positive payoff |
| 42 | Community College of Allegheny CountyAssociate's Degree | Pittsburgh, PA | $58,905 | $14,261 | +18% | Positive payoff |
| 43 | University of Phoenix-ArizonaAssociate's Degree | Phoenix, AZ | $58,567 | $23,849 | +16% | Positive payoff |
| 44 | Front Range Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Westminster, CO | $58,524 | $20,098 | +17% | Positive payoff |
| 45 | Columbus State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Columbus, OH | $58,103 | Not available | +23% | Positive payoff |
| 46 | Monroe Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Rochester, NY | $57,829 | $11,500 | +25% | Positive payoff |
| 47 | Bristol Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Fall River, MA | $57,413 | $8,780 | +23% | Positive payoff |
| 48 | Nassau Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Garden City, NY | $57,178 | $14,440 | +17% | Positive payoff |
| 49 | Chattanooga State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Chattanooga, TN | $57,028 | $16,484 | +20% | Positive payoff |
| 50 | Miami Dade CollegeAssociate's Degree | Miami, FL | $56,698 | Not available | +16% | Positive payoff |
| 51 | Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma CityAssociate's Degree | Oklahoma City, OK | $56,485 | Not available | +10% | Positive payoff |
| 52 | Central New Mexico Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Albuquerque, NM | $56,388 | $9,188 | +15% | Positive payoff |
| 53 | Columbia State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Columbia, TN | $56,354 | Not available | +14% | Positive payoff |
| 54 | Niagara County Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Sanborn, NY | $56,195 | Not available | +8% | Positive payoff |
| 55 | Purdue University GlobalAssociate's Degree | West Lafayette, IN | $55,953 | Not available | +4% | Positive payoff |
| 56 | Northwood Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Rice Lake, WI | $55,930 | Not available | +1% | Positive payoff |
| 57 | Ivy Tech Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Indianapolis, IN | $55,703 | $12,567 | +2% | Positive payoff |
| 58 | Wayne Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Goldsboro, NC | $55,608 | Not available | +12% | Positive payoff |
| 59 | Tulsa Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Tulsa, OK | $55,027 | $9,509 | -2% | Negative payoff |
| 60 | New River Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Dublin, VA | $54,867 | Not available | -4% | Negative payoff |
| 61 | J Sargeant Reynolds Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Richmond, VA | $54,823 | Not available | -2% | Negative payoff |
| 62 | Forsyth Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Winston-Salem, NC | $54,789 | $16,616 | -6% | Negative payoff |
| 63 | NorthWest Arkansas Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Bentonville, AR | $54,737 | Not available | -7% | Negative payoff |
| 64 | Suffolk County Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Selden, NY | $54,581 | $10,250 | -5% | Negative payoff |
| 65 | Georgia Military CollegeAssociate's Degree | Milledgeville, GA | $54,270 | $14,652 | -25% | Negative payoff |
| 66 | Monroe UniversityAssociate's Degree | Bronx, NY | $54,205 | $14,864 | -23% | Negative payoff |
| 67 | Des Moines Area Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Ankeny, IA | $53,936 | $17,218 | -20% | Negative payoff |
| 68 | Laurel Ridge Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Middletown, VA | $53,867 | Not available | -13% | Negative payoff |
| 69 | Harrisburg Area Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Harrisburg, PA | $53,524 | Not available | -28% | Negative payoff |
| 70 | Indian River State CollegeAssociate's Degree | Fort Pierce, FL | $53,480 | Not available | -13% | Negative payoff |
| 71 | Hillsborough CollegeAssociate's Degree | Tampa, FL | $52,633 | Not available | -22% | Negative payoff |
| 72 | Palm Beach State CollegeAssociate's Degree | Lake Worth, FL | $52,616 | Not available | -30% | Negative payoff |
| 73 | Bluegrass Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Lexington, KY | $52,501 | $15,523 | -27% | Negative payoff |
| 74 | Keiser University-Ft LauderdaleAssociate's Degree | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $51,977 | $24,517 | -54% | Negative payoff |
| 75 | Guilford Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Jamestown, NC | $51,788 | $22,713 | -43% | Negative payoff |
| 76 | Brightpoint Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Chester, VA | $51,708 | $8,250 | -34% | Negative payoff |
| 77 | CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | New York, NY | $51,649 | $9,500 | -33% | Negative payoff |
| 78 | Walters State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Morristown, TN | $51,498 | Not available | -36% | Negative payoff |
| 79 | SUNY Corning Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Corning, NY | $51,264 | Not available | -40% | Negative payoff |
| 80 | Blue Ridge Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Weyers Cave, VA | $51,223 | Not available | -47% | Negative payoff |
| 81 | Saint Leo UniversityAssociate's Degree | Saint Leo, FL | $51,092 | Not available | -54% | Negative payoff |
| 82 | Lone Star College SystemAssociate's Degree | The Woodlands, TX | $50,935 | $12,500 | -47% | Negative payoff |
| 83 | Tidewater Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Norfolk, VA | $50,852 | $11,243 | -48% | Negative payoff |
| 84 | University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | North Little Rock, AR | $50,793 | Not available | -51% | Negative payoff |
| 85 | Jefferson Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Louisville, KY | $50,757 | $15,109 | -44% | Negative payoff |
| 86 | Delaware County Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Media, PA | $50,503 | $11,000 | -47% | Negative payoff |
| 87 | Cape Fear Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Wilmington, NC | $50,244 | Not available | -52% | Negative payoff |
| 88 | Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Asheville, NC | $50,001 | Not available | -56% | Negative payoff |
| 89 | Platt College-Los AngelesAssociate's Degree | Alhambra, CA | $49,035 | Not available | -72% | Negative payoff |
| 90 | Platt College-OntarioAssociate's Degree | Ontario, CA | $49,035 | Not available | -69% | Negative payoff |
| 91 | Platt College-RiversideAssociate's Degree | Riverside, CA | $49,035 | Not available | -70% | Negative payoff |
| 92 | Platt College-AnaheimAssociate's Degree | Anaheim, CA | $49,035 | Not available | -70% | Negative payoff |
| 93 | Southside Virginia Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Alberta, VA | $48,465 | Not available | -66% | Negative payoff |
| 94 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Perkinston, MS | $48,304 | Not available | -68% | Negative payoff |
| 95 | Somerset Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Somerset, KY | $47,907 | $8,900 | -71% | Negative payoff |
| 96 | Central Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Grand Island, NE | $46,919 | $10,000 | -82% | Negative payoff |
| 97 | Jamestown Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Jamestown, NY | $46,805 | Not available | -84% | Negative payoff |
| 98 | Jackson State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Jackson, TN | $46,687 | Not available | -84% | Negative payoff |
| 99 | Community College of PhiladelphiaAssociate's Degree | Philadelphia, PA | $46,191 | $11,375 | -90% | Negative payoff |
| 100 | Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland CampusAssociate's Degree | Vineland, NJ | $46,180 | Not available | -89% | Negative payoff |
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.