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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 198 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Strong payoff

+$348,420 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

4.3 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+135%Estimated return after 10 years
$105,640Observed earnings · year 4
$106,600Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0

The price benchmark is $87,105 per year below this threshold.

Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$105,640 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$105,640Typical earnings four years after completion
$111,232Average earnings five years after completion
$24,500Typical federal student debt
96thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
95Degrees awarded in 2024–25
192College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 27 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Computer Engineering

How much do Computer Engineering bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $105,640 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $24,500. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Computer Engineering?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $96,079 to $115,181 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Computer Engineering?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$55,001
Federal debt
$7,917
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$69,873
Federal debt
$23,635
Programs in the comparison
6
6 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$105,640
Federal debt
$24,500
Programs in the comparison
198
192 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$140,393
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
23
23 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

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$96,079National median$105,64075th percentile$115,181
192 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$115,18175th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$24,500Median federal debt across programs that report it
29Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

University of California, Los Angeles

$228,705 four years after completionLos Angeles, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

University of Southern California

$9,500 among completer borrowersLos Angeles, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

396 reported awards in 2024–25Champaign, IL · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$194,365Observed year-4 earnings$124,641
$6,541Annual college-wide average net price$40,766
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of California, Los Angeles$228,7052Princeton University$214,2743Columbia University in the City of New York$194,3654Duke University$174,5225University of Washington-Seattle Campus$169,5706University of Washington-Bothell Campus$169,5707University of Washington-Tacoma Campus$169,5708University of Southern California$166,3699Santa Clara University$163,76510University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$159,855

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Architectural and Engineering Managers$171,270 median wage220,260 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 14,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$120,810–$262,760 typical wage rangeEngineering Teachers, Postsecondary$109,270 median wage40,270 jobs nationwide+7.8% projected growth through 2035 · 3,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$61,550–$210,370 typical wage rangeComputer Hardware Engineers$161,740 median wage76,660 jobs nationwide+9.1% projected growth through 2035 · 4,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$92,940–$225,330 typical wage rangeDatabase Architects$139,500 median wage67,140 jobs nationwide+9.4% projected growth through 2035 · 3,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$86,240–$204,000 typical wage rangeSoftware Developers$135,980 median wage1,687,890 jobs nationwide+10.2% projected growth through 2035 · 95,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$82,460–$214,670 typical wage rangeComputer Network Architects$134,050 median wage179,740 jobs nationwide+7.7% projected growth through 2035 · 9,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$79,900–$202,680 typical wage rangeSoftware Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers$104,300 median wage186,740 jobs nationwide+5.7% projected growth through 2035 · 10,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$61,440–$167,010 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Mechanical Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$91,131
Federal debt
$24,844
326 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$98,640
Federal debt
$25,000
268 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Civil Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$85,076
Federal debt
$24,667
238 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Chemical Engineering

Year-4 earnings
$96,798
Federal debt
$23,274
159 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

CA24 programs$120,914 average earningsFL13 programs$98,812 average earningsPA12 programs$115,195 average earningsTX11 programs$96,770 average earningsNY11 programs$119,431 average earningsOH10 programs$99,633 average earningsWI7 programs$102,057 average earningsMI7 programs$110,232 average earningsIL7 programs$105,833 average earningsVA6 programs$114,601 average earningsMA6 programs$113,196 average earningsIN5 programs$100,483 average earnings

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.