BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in Computer Science worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 373 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Strong payoff
+$278,444 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.
4.8 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+107%Estimated return after 10 years
$98,882Observed earnings · year 4
$89,704Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $69,611 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.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$358,815
$20,000Current college-wide context+$278,815
$40,000Annual price+$198,815
$60,000Annual price+$118,815
$80,000Annual price+$38,815
$100,000Annual price−$41,185
Outcomes at a glance
$98,882Typical earnings four years after completion
$111,692Average earnings five years after completion
$23,623Typical federal student debt
93thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
239Degrees awarded in 2024–25
354College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 25 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Computer Science
How much do Computer Science bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $98,882 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 $23,623. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Computer Science?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $87,099 to $115,541 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Computer Science?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 12 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
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
- $104,271
- Federal debt
- $17,917
- Programs in the comparison
- 2
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $64,221
- Federal debt
- $12,458
- Programs in the comparison
- 33
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $98,882
- Federal debt
- $23,623
- Programs in the comparison
- 373
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $152,770
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 48
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $165,750
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $118,536
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
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$87,099National median$98,88275th percentile$115,541
354 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
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
Carnegie Mellon University
$268,121 four years after completionPittsburgh, PA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtStanford University
$10,399 among completer borrowersStanford, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classUniversity of California, Berkeley
994 reported awards in 2024–25Berkeley, CA · 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.
$223,309Observed year-4 earnings$154,784
Carnegie Mellon University$31,944 price · $268,121 earningsMassachusetts Institute of Technology$20,111 price · $225,141 earningsCornell University$28,690 price · $223,309 earningsPrinceton University$6,128 price · $217,973 earningsPomona College$19,285 price · $217,051 earningsStanford University$13,807 price · $214,907 earningsBrown University$25,184 price · $214,479 earningsWilliams College$17,716 price · $209,574 earningsUniversity of California, Berkeley$13,481 price · $204,379 earningsHarvard University$19,066 price · $203,169 earningsDartmouth College$29,519 price · $201,702 earningsCalifornia Institute of Technology$16,075 price · $200,511 earningsHarvey Mudd College$35,924 price · $198,257 earningsDuke University$29,612 price · $195,809 earningsUniversity of Southern California$32,740 price · $192,897 earningsColumbia University in the City of New York$21,590 price · $188,265 earningsUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$14,355 price · $181,981 earningsUniversity of Chicago$14,860 price · $178,068 earningsWashington University in St Louis$21,786 price · $177,066 earningsUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $175,616 earningsUniversity of Washington-Bothell Campus$12,319 price · $175,616 earningsColgate University$28,786 price · $161,980 earningsVanderbilt University$15,846 price · $160,021 earningsEmory University$22,585 price · $159,541 earningsUniversity of California, San Diego$12,470 price · $159,487 earningsTufts University$39,998 price · $156,343 earningsUniversity of Rochester$29,278 price · $155,464 earningsNorthwestern University$29,167 price · $155,106 earningsCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$16,665 price · $154,784 earningsGeorge Washington University$36,586 price · $150,716 earnings
$12,319Annual college-wide average net price$35,924
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 →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Carnegie Mellon University$268,1212Massachusetts Institute of Technology$225,1413Cornell University$223,3094Princeton University$217,9735Pomona College$217,0516Stanford University$214,9077Brown University$214,4798Williams College$209,5749University of California, Berkeley$204,37910Harvard University$203,169Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
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
Higher median wage ↑
-9%Projected employment growth →37%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Computer and Information Systems Managers$175,140 median wage670,570 jobs nationwide+15.8% projected growth through 2035 · 53,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$107,550–$297,510 typical wage rangeComputer and Information Research Scientists$140,300 median wage37,200 jobs nationwide+21.8% projected growth through 2035 · 2,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$82,200–$230,630 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 rangeInformation Security Analysts$129,180 median wage190,650 jobs nationwide+21.0% projected growth through 2035 · 14,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$75,090–$199,850 typical wage rangeData Scientists$120,230 median wage262,440 jobs nationwide+34.6% projected growth through 2035 · 24,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$67,240–$199,130 typical wage rangeComputer Occupations, All Other$116,580 median wage435,370 jobs nationwide+5.1% projected growth through 2035 · 27,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$55,940–$188,470 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 rangeWeb and Digital Interface Designers$104,000 median wage113,330 jobs nationwide+6.0% projected growth through 2035 · 8,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$53,750–$201,550 typical wage rangeComputer Programmers$100,390 median wage92,230 jobs nationwide-7.3% projected growth through 2035 · 4,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$57,710–$160,460 typical wage rangeComputer Science Teachers, Postsecondary$96,980 median wage35,480 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 3,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,460–$170,200 typical wage rangeWeb Developers$92,650 median wage70,190 jobs nationwide+3.8% projected growth through 2035 · 5,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,100–$162,290 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
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.
CA39 programs$121,492 average earningsIL23 programs$103,154 average earningsPA20 programs$106,943 average earningsNY20 programs$121,020 average earningsMA18 programs$136,904 average earningsNC17 programs$97,279 average earningsOH16 programs$99,316 average earningsIN13 programs$101,506 average earningsMN12 programs$99,870 average earningsTX11 programs$100,566 average earningsMI11 programs$88,379 average earningsWA10 programs$121,591 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.