DegreeVerdict
ROI Calculator
Home›Majors›Information Science/Studies
BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Information Science/Studies worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 162 college programs with reportable data.

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

+$127,944 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.

6.7 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+50%Estimated return after 10 years
$83,331Observed earnings · year 4
$50,828Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0

The price benchmark is $31,986 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$83,331 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

$83,331Typical earnings four years after completion
$85,334Average earnings five years after completion
$26,000Typical federal student debt
79thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
174Degrees awarded in 2024–25
149College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 37 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Information Science/Studies

How much do Information Science/Studies bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $83,331 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 $26,000. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Information Science/Studies?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $70,639 to $91,671 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Information Science/Studies?

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
$91,498
Federal debt
$14,616
Programs in the comparison
5
3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$63,006
Federal debt
$24,788
Programs in the comparison
26
25 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$83,331
Federal debt
$26,000
Programs in the comparison
162
149 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$141,703
Federal debt
$24,773
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$99,838
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
72
72 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

First Professional Degree

Year-4 earnings
$209,391
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$52,761
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 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$70,639National median$83,33175th percentile$91,671
149 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$91,67175th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$26,000Median federal debt across programs that report it
33Programs 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

Northwestern University

$163,740 four years after completionEvanston, IL · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

$13,294 among completer borrowersChapel Hill, NC · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

University of Maryland-College Park

661 reported awards in 2024–25College Park, MD · 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.

$130,798Observed year-4 earnings$91,671
$11,655Annual college-wide average net price$38,793
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.

1Northwestern University$163,7402Boston College$131,0903University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$130,7984Stevenson University$113,3675James Madison University$113,3456Utah Valley University$112,1287University of Maryland-College Park$109,0928Albright College$108,8469Clemson University$105,64610George Washington University$105,145

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.

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 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 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 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 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

Computer and Information Sciences, General

Year-4 earnings
$84,860
Federal debt
$25,000
489 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Computer Science

Year-4 earnings
$98,882
Federal debt
$23,623
373 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management

Year-4 earnings
$81,640
Federal debt
$27,000
112 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Computer Software and Media Applications

Year-4 earnings
$51,596
Federal debt
$27,000
72 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.

PA25 programs$89,629 average earningsNY16 programs$75,079 average earningsMD10 programs$86,622 average earningsTX8 programs$79,776 average earningsGA8 programs$72,410 average earningsVA7 programs$80,391 average earningsOH6 programs$81,219 average earningsNJ6 programs$88,114 average earningsSC5 programs$84,652 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.